Broken Wing
by taffy0823
Summary: What would Jet do if one of his Freedom Fighters turned out to be a firebender? What would Zuko do if he found this person, burned and broken, left alone to die? A tale of pain, friendship, and struggle. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
1. Prologue

**Broken Wing**

Summary – What would Jet do if one of his Freedom Fighters turned out to be a firebender? What would Zuko do if he found this person burned and broken, left alone to die? This is a tale of pain, friendship, and struggle.

**"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." - Helen Keller**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Yep, that's it. Pretty much ran out of cute little phrases to put here on my last fic.

**Chapter 1 - Prologue **

Three months had passed since the Fire Nation raid on the small Water Tribe village. In a small ice hut, a young woman tread back and forth across the packed snow that served as the floor of the modest dwelling. She nervously awaited a visit from the chief healer, an older woman with sharp eyes and a stern demeanor. She walked over to the door and pulled back the elephant seal hide that blocked the entry to check if the woman had arrived. She saw the same sight as the last time she checked, which was about thirty seconds ago, nothing. She turned and resumed her pacing, wringing her hands together and fearing the worst. A few tense minutes later the hide rustled as the elder woman ducked into the room.

"Welcome," the young woman said, unable to keep her voice from trembling.

"Thank you," she replied curtly. "Lay down over there and we shall begin."

The healer commenced in examining the apprehensive young woman, pushing on her abdomen and making small clucking noises. All too soon, she motioned for her patient to sit up. The girl's skin had paled and she looked up at the healer with uncertainty.

"So...am I..." unable to finish the sentence her voice trailed off.

"You will give birth just before the winter solstice."

The young woman had expected this but hearing it said aloud hit her like an icy ocean gale. She dropped her head and stared unseeing at the ground.

"I trust you are aware of what is expected of you."

"Yes." She remembered the conversations she overheard in the healing hut after the raid.

She lay in a room with four other girls. The training healers thought they were asleep and did not bother to lower their voices. The information she gathered from their thoughtless conversation was that babies born under such circumstances as these were not permitted to remain within the tribes. The healers didn't mention what would happen to the infants after they were taken from their mothers but this wasn't something she wanted to contemplate.

"Then, I will see you again when your pains begin."

Roused from her memory she watched the woman leave her hut without a backwards glance. She collapsed onto her bed, her mind struggling to accept the reality of her situation.

_This cannot be happening, after everything else, now this_.

She lay there for a long time, the truth of her situation weighing heavily upon her. She thought her suffering had ended. She had pushed herself to move past the terrible offense that had been committed against her. Now, told that she would not be freed from the grasp of that vicious assault for another six months, that she would be reminded of the attack everyday as her stomach swelled, that her own body had betrayed her and harbored the seed of an enemy, it became too much for her. She broke down as great sobs racked her body.

"Kasi?"

Hearing her childhood nickname, she lifted her head to see a young man enter the hut wearing a small smile that failed to mask the concern in his voice. They had been friends for as long as she could remember and after the raid, when everyone else treated her differently, whispered behind her back, and avoided her, he stood by her. He was the one constant in her life.

She sat up as he took a seat beside her. With one look, he knew the answer to the unsaid question.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Daisuke?"

He took one of her small hands and clasped both of his around it. "I'm here for you, Kasumi," he paused and looked poignantly into her eyes, "whatever you need."

* * *

The months passed and as the end of her pregnancy drew near, her anxiety increased. She had come to cherish the life that wriggled within her womb. Everyday she spoke to the child in affectionate whispers. How could she give up the little being that had claimed her heart? 

"Daisuke, I can't let go." She sat down on her bed, resting her hands on her swollen abdomen. "I can't let them take my baby."

She expected him to be angry with her, to yell and try to convince her that she was wrong for loving this child. She looked up at him, his face had hardened and she braced herself for the outburst that she was sure would follow.

"Kasumi," his voice low and somber, "I told you, whatever you need."

* * *

The pair left the village under cover of darkness and made their way slowly to a small shelter Daisuke had prepared for them, hidden with the snowdrifts. 

The labor was hard and several times Daisuke insisted on returning to the village to retrieve a healer. Kasumi vehemently rejected this citing that her child would be as good as dead if they failed to keep their plan a secret. After many hours, a very weak Kasumi took her child, whom Daisuke had cleansed and wrapped in thick furs.

"It's a girl," she heard him say in a cheerful voice that belied the gravity of the situation.

Kasumi looked down at the sleeping babe, "You will be named Kaiya." Then, turning large sorrowful eyes on her accomplice, "You told me, Daisuke, 'whatever I need'..."

Shocked by her thin voice and shallow breathing, he nodded.

"Take her. Take her to where she will be safe." She pushed the bundle back into his arms and closed her eyes.

"What? Why?" he asked, confused. He regarded the infant with apprehension. This was not part of the plan. He was to accompany them to the other Water Tribe village where Kasumi and her situation were not as well known. "Kasumi?" he repeated. When she still did not respond, he looked back at her.

"Kasumi!"

* * *

Bent forward against the harsh wind, he trudged through the falling snow, his eyes red and swollen. Making his way silently through the unfamiliar village, a small squirming bundle in his arms, he came upon the home of an elderly widow. Carefully, he laid the infant on the doorstep and tucked a tiny package into a fold in the blankets before he rapped on the door and quickly retreated into the shadows. He watched from his hiding place until a shaft of light pierced the darkness. 

The woman peered from her doorway with narrowed eyes. Then she stepped forward, her foot brushing against the tiny mound. Daisuke held his breath as she knelt over the tangle of blankets. A feeble cry caused the woman to jump back.

"What on earth?"

The widow reached forward pulling back a corner of the material and gasped before quickly gathering the child in her arms and retreating back into the warmth of her hut.

His task completed, Daisuke sat and stared at his hands. Images of the past few hours flashed through his mind. He wondered when love began to hurt this bad. Was it from the moment he realized he cared for Kasumi, when they were barely adolescents and the world seemed so safe? Or was it when he found himself unable to protect her from the dangers they faced? The numbing shock of grief mixed with his fear of the future. As Daisuke began the journey back to his own village, his thoughts remained on a tiny babe with the dark skin of the Water Tribe and eyes the color of fire.

**

* * *

Thirteen years later**

High above the encampment of Fire Nation soldiers, crouching hidden within the boughs of the towering canopy, a ragtag knot of orphans and runaways lay in wait. In various states of adrenalin-induced nervousness, the Freedom Fighters, as they were appropriately named, tensed in preparation for the signal to proceed. Their leader, a charismatic fifteen-year-old named Jet, was just about to gesture for them to descend when an arrow sliced through the air in front of him and embedded silently into the bark just above his right hand. As casually, as if he had been tapped on the shoulder, he glanced over at Longshot, a remarkably accurate archer who had joined the group a few months before.

Longshot motioned from his eyes to a point off the northern edge of the encampment. Following the boy's gaze, Jet sighted small movements in the brush behind the supply tent. Seconds later a small figure came into view before disappearing behind the canvas. His eyebrow arched as the figure reemerged holding only a few pieces of bread and a stolen canteen before silently sliding back into the bushes. Intrigued, Jet indicated for his crew to stay in position and complete their mission of pilfering food and weapons as he tracked the mysterious person.

Swinging skillfully through the branches, he used his twin hook swords to propel himself swiftly forward. When the mysterious character stopped, he saw that they had come upon the remnants of a tiny camp; a blackened circle marked where a campfire had been and a worn sleeping mat lay rolled out next to it. He settled upon a thick limb and pushed aside a branch to peer down upon the scene.

For a few minutes, he simply watched and gathered information on this individual. A girl who appeared to be about twelve, possibly thirteen, with the way her blue tunic draped loosely from narrow shoulders, it was hard to tell. Her clothing marked her as a traveler for it was of a style foreign to the Earth Kingdom. Over the tunic, she wore a sleeveless robe that hung past her knees. A wide leather band was tied at her waist and similar bands curled around her forearms. The raggedness of her apparel reinforced her slight appearance. A tangled mass of dark brown locks fell over her shoulders as she tore hungrily at the food she had stolen. So intent was she on her meal that she didn't seem to be paying attention to her surroundings.

With practiced stealth, Jet dropped lightly to the forest floor. She jumped back and pulled a whalebone knife from her boot before deciding running was a better option and sprinted away, leaving her meal on the ground.

She was easy to follow as Jet moved through the familiar terrain. He quickly closed the gap between them as he traversed overhead. Catching his swords on a bough, he flung himself forward to land directly in her path. She skid to a stop, half-stumbling in her attempt to keep a good distance between them.

Long bangs fell over bright, expressive eyes, now narrowed at the boy blocking her path.

"What do you want?" she snarled as her eyes darted around to find a route of escape.

"Hey, I don't want anything," he said, his arms raised in a non-threatening gesture, though the swords still clasped in his hands hindered the effect.

"Go away! Leave me alone!" she shouted as she tore off in the opposite direction.

Jet frowned as her back disappeared into the dense foliage. "Okay, so not the direct approach."

* * *

She crouched into the hollow at the base of a large tree, breathless from her sprint. She desperately tried to listen over her heavy breathing and pounding heart. She did not think she had been followed but still felt unnerved by the meeting with the tough looking boy. She was sure this boy was no different from the others, the men who leered at her as she passed by or the women who glared at her with contempt. 

She had been traveling on her own for several months now and had yet to meet a friendly face among the sea of strangers she passed on her journey, if you could call her pointless drifting a journey. A year ago, she would have never imagined being caught in her current situation.

She had always been a bit of a loner, standoffish and withdrawn. An orphan in a society that held the bonds of family in the highest esteem, she had to sit by and watch as other children took part in the tribe's rituals and celebrations, but at least she had a home. All that changed last summer, after the accident. Ostracized from the tribe and forced into this struggle to survive, she wandered despondently across unfamiliar soil in search of a place to belong; a place she doubted even existed for one such as her.

She waited several hours before making her way back to her camp to retrieve her meager possessions. She eyed the trees above her warily before ducking into the small clearing that was her campsite. Her eyebrows formed a tight line as she glanced around.

Gone, all of it was gone, from the mat she slept on to the pack that held the only reminders of the life she led before this miserable reality. She dropped to her knees with slumped shoulders and growled in frustration.

It was then, as she was about to scream her indignation to the heavens, that she noticed a crumpled package atop the ashes that had been her campfire. She crawled over to the parcel and pulled at the cloth. It fell open to reveal a few pieces of fruit and a handful of jerky.

Utterly confused now, she gathered up the parcel and noticed that in the ashes beneath the cloth had been drawn an arrow. She stood up and debated with herself the wisdom of following this arrow. Digging her heel through the ashes to erase the marker, she set off in the direction indicated. She didn't care if this was a trap, for at the moment, her stomach was making the decisions for her.

After she had passed several more arrows and the food from the parcel had disappeared, she began to feel foolish for blindly following the trail. She paused and glanced back the way she had come. With only the clothes on her back for warmth and her only weapon a small knife, she wouldn't last much longer on her own but what was waiting for her at the end of this path could be much worse, she reasoned.

As she stood there in indecision, she heard the sound of a distinctive birdcall in the distance and jumped when the call was answered from the trees above her. Her eyes flicked upward and fixed onto a piercing hazel gaze. It was the boy who had chased her. He was leaning against the trunk of the tree with his arms crossed and a confident smirk played across his angular features. Feeling threatened, she took a step back and tensed, her muscles primed to run.

"Wait."

Against her better judgment, she held her ground as the boy descended, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he straightened up.

"You're alone..."

"...and hungry," he said with a glance at the empty parcel she held in her fist. "We've got more food and a place to sleep."

"Where's my stuff?" she said testily.

"We have it back at our camp."

"We?"

"Yeah, there's a whole group of us that live out here in these woods. We look out for each other, because no one else will," he finished darkly.

Surprised to find someone whose view of the world seemed to mirror her own, she relaxed.

"I'm Jet," He said reaching a hand out to her.

She clasped her hand to his forearm in a warrior's handshake, "My name's Kaiya."

**

* * *

Author's Note**

Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for reading this. Normally I don't care much for OC's but I'm really excited about this story. Very soon, we will see many of our favorite characters and the action and drama will pick up considerably. The next five chapters are almost complete and I have my plot outlined pretty well so updates should come quickly.

Please take a minute to leave a review. I rely heavily upon the feedback I receive. Just a small note makes a big difference. Give me your honest opinion, what you liked, what you didn't, and maybe what you'd like to see happen next.

Just an interesting little tidbit of mildly interesting information for those of you somewhat interested in such things; here are the meanings of the names of my OC's.

Kaiya - forgiveness

Kasumi - mist

Daisuke - great help

P.S. If you like this, check out my other fic, The Test of Poison. And for those of you familiar with it, I haven't given up on the sequel. I recently made a lot of progress with the plot and I'm excited to get it going again sometime soon.


	2. Adolescence

**It is better to be happy for a moment and be burned up with beauty ****than to live a long time and be bored all the while. - Helen Keller**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. However, I do own every DVD available, the most recent all-Avatar comic and Aang's glider/staff from Toy's-R-Us. (Okay, it's my daughter's, but who else was going to show her the right way to use it?)

**Chapter 2 – Adolescence**

Two years had passed since the Freedom Fighters adopted Kaiya into their group.

The first few weeks were difficult. She clashed with everyone in the group; that is, everyone except Longshot, nothing altered his level exterior.

During this stage, Jet played the part of instigator as often as mediator. He seemed to take special pride in riling her up. Several times, she was sure she felt her blood boil, but then Jet would use some clever retort or flash that roguish smile to diffuse the conflicts before they escalated to the point of outright war.

One of these situations was when they decided that Kaiya needed a nickname to be properly initiated into the group. She adamantly refused to respond to the vulgar array they came up with. The nicest of which make fun of her tall gangly appearance; the worst, comparing her complexion to animal leavings, but when Smellerbee called her "fire-eyes", Jet stepped in.

"Fire-eyes? That's a great name for a Freedom Fighter," he scoffed before turning serious. "The Fire Nation is responsible for destroying our homes and families. They're evil and we'll do whatever it takes to stop them."

Everyone scattered after that, suddenly busy with one chore or another, leaving Kaiya face-to-face with a fuming Jet. She shivered under his intense gaze, but held her ground.

He looked at her oddly for a moment but then his features softened, "Don't worry about it, Kaiya," he said, clapping her on the shoulder, his expression turning mischievous. "It's not your fault your eyes are the color of tree fungus."

She laughed nervously as he walked away, knowing the heat that flushed her face was due to more than just embarrassment.

Things calmed down after that as Kaiya became accustomed to living with this motley crew.

She spent hours everyday training with Jet. He ruthlessly pushed her to improve. Two concussions and a broken arm later, when she was able to move through the trees as naturally as she could walk, she found his stream of insults reduced to playful jibes and jovial banter. She respected him and found herself looking forward to each brutal challenge in order to prove her worth to this leader of outcasts.

Even Longshot, who was the same age as she, took it upon himself to teach her marksmanship, which was a challenge in itself due to his lack of verbal communication. In time, and with some help from Smellerbee, she was able to converse with the mute boy in a way that made her wonder at the necessity of the crude babble used by the other boys. They practiced archery and dagger throwing until finally, after months of mind-numbing drills, she received her first complement from him. It was no more than a smile, but it meant more to her than a thousand words of praise.

The Freedom Fighters worked so well together now that they had begun to take on more and more dangerous "missions". They progressed from only stealing enough food and supplies to survive, to ambushing troops and cutting off Fire Nation supply lines. They spent their evenings devising new ways of terrorizing the soldiers, all in the name of supporting the effort against the war and driving the Fire Nation out of their forest.

Tonight they were celebrating another successful mission. Adding to their amusement was a message they had intercepted which included a poster depicting their leader and offering a sizable reward for his capture. The message went on to detail many of the group's recent activities. It also credited them with a number of crimes they hadn't committed...

...yet.

Raucous laughter rang through the treetops as Sneers and The Duke recounted their latest scheme, embellishing the story with outlandish exaggerations. A feeling of euphoria was shared among the child/warriors and for tonight, they were invincible.

Kaiya watched this interaction from the sidelines. Turning away, she leaned against a railing and looked out over the foliage laden branches that kept their home secret; that kept them safe.

A lot had changed in the past two years. No longer was she the withdrawn child found starving in the woods; she now laughed and joked with the other kids having found a friend in each of them. Though they had grown closer and more comfortable with one another forming a strange sort of surrogate family, she never shared the details of her past. She hid the shame and fear that those memories ignited within her.

She dreamt sometimes of her old life and though these memories began pleasant enough they always left her breathless and shaking as the scenes turned violent. She shook her head in an attempt to dispel the jeers and accusations that were as clear now as they had been so long ago on the frozen tundra.

She realized that she'd been daydreaming and took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart, ashamed at the control those events still held over her.

Looking across the wooden platform, she caught Longshot's perceptive eye. She smiled warmly at the teen and got up to go sit with him. Of all the Freedom Fighters, she was most comfortable around him. She preferred his quiet companionship to the rambunctious barrage of diatribe that dominated her interaction with the other adolescents.

"Hey," she said as she settled beside him, close enough that their knees bumped as she folded her legs beneath her. "You were pretty amazing back there. How come you never taught me how to shoot three arrows at once?" she teased.

His answering look was one of annoyance though a light flush colored his cheeks.

"You're right. Too many sharp objects in my hands at one time would be hazardous."

A small huff was his only response but she knew he was laughing inside.

"Come on," she said taking his hand and pulling him after her. "I want to show you something."

He followed Kaiya across a rope bridge when a blur of green and brown flew past him, colliding with the girl in front of him. Her hand was pulled from his grasp as she was pushed sideways off the narrow path. Before he could react, he caught the glint of Jet's hook swords in the tangle of limbs that descended below the canopy and out of sight.

Longshot turned back, returning to where the rest of the Freedom Fighters where gathered, the only outward indication that his companion had just been skyjacked inches in front of him was his shoulders, which slumped almost unnoticeably as he rejoined the queue.

**

* * *

Author's Note**

I need to apologize. This chapter kind of got out of hand and I had to split it. The fight scene I mentioned before turned into two fight scenes which will appear in chapter three.

It also seems that my characters have developed a mind of their own. I never planned for Longshot to play such a large role but I liked how it turned out. Do you?


	3. Anguish

**We could never learn to be brave or patient, if there were only joy in the world. - Helen Keller**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. If I did, "Hide and Explode" would be a real game, possibly played with self-detonating paintballs, Black Cats, and roman candles.

**Chapter 3 – Anguish**

As Kaiya led Longshot across the narrow rope bridge, the ground suddenly fell out from under her as a large mass knocked her sideways off the wobbly planks. She let out a panicked shriek before she realized the fall was more of a swing and there was a strong arm wrapped around her waist. She turned her head and glared at the imbecile who carried her through the trees.

When their feet touched the ground, she jumped out of his grasp before turning back. "You—are—such—an—idiot!" she yelled, each word punctuated by her fists.

Holding his arms up in defense, Jet just laughed. "What? I heard girls love being swept off their feet."

"Ha ha, real funny," she said with an exasperated look on her face. "If you wanted to talk, you could have just asked."

"Where's the fun in that?" he said walking away from her.

She growled in frustration at his retreating form before reluctantly following.

"So..." she prompted, her curiosity getting the better of her as she caught up to him.

"So what?"

"You must have had some reason to come barreling into me like that."

"Maybe I was just testing your reflexes." He smirked at the daggers that flashed in her eyes. "And it looks to me that we're going to have to resume your training."

"Sure. A few more concussions should do me a world of good," she said sarcastically before she rammed her shoulder into his side and successfully tackled the unsuspecting teen.

"Who's got slow reflexes now?" she said picking herself up, eyes gleaming in triumph.

Jet stood with deliberate slowness, keeping his eyes, which held a mischievous glint, on Kaiya. "So you want to spare?"

"Whenever, wherever. Too bad my weapons are back at the hide-out."

"I'm disappointed in you, Kaiya," he teased. "A warrior should always be prepared."

"Well, I didn't plan on being thrown from the bridge by a maniac with a death wish," she said, stepping back into a fighting stance.

He smiled, laid his hook swords aside, and began unstrapping his armor. "So that's how it's gonna be."

As he laid his armor beside his swords, her eyes darted around taking in the layout of their surroundings, taking inventory of possible escape routes, advantages, and hazards, just as she'd been taught.

For a few moments, they circled each other before Jet charged. Kaiya turned away to avoid the blow, but he anticipated this and swung an elbow out as she passed, catching her in the back and knocking her to her knees. She curled, turning the fall into a roll and was on her feet again ready for his next strike. He threw a punch at her shoulder, which she dodged, ducking under his swing. He continued to advance and she to retreat, kicking and spinning, striking and evading.

"This is getting boring, Kaiya," he panted, halting in his attack. "You need to do more than just defend. If I were a firebender, you'd be dead by now."

"The world isn't made up of just good guys and firebenders."

"Everything that's wrong with the world is because of the Fire Nation. Ever wonder why they're the only benders who carry their element inside them? The fire is in their blood, Kaiya. It makes them evil and cruel."

He mistook her silence for fear. "They won't stop until we're all dead," he said raising a hand to touch her cheek. "I just don't want to see you get burned."

His words pierced her and tears of shame welled in her eyes.

Seeing her reaction, he stepped closer. "Kaiya..." he said softly as he bent his head to look into her down-turned face. "You can tell me."

She pulled away from him, "I want to go back now."

"You don't have to hide your past. No matter what, you're a Freedom Fighter and we stick together. I understand what you're going through. We've all been through it."

"No, you don't understand. The soldiers didn't destroy my home..." she said, her fists shaking as a knife of guilt twisted in her chest. "I did."

Placing his hands on her shoulders, he forced her to face him. "You can't keep blaming yourself for what..." Jerking his head to the side, he stared into the distance his eyebrows creased in a deep frown.

"What is it?" she whispered, on alert now as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Get into the trees," he said as he rushed back to retrieve his weapons.

She barely had time to react before two men broke into the clearing. Catching sight of them, she dashed toward the nearest tree and jumped. Catching a limb with one arm, she swung her leg over the bough and righted herself on it. She moved to stand while planning her next move. In her head, the lattice of branches forming a path; jump to this one, swing across that one, use another to get higher, safer, further away from danger.

As she reached for the next branch, her foot was suddenly pulled out from under her. She tried to catch herself as she fell across the branch below. One of the men had caught her foot in a chain; the weighted ball on the end causing it to wrap tightly around her ankle. With another jerk, he brought the girl to the ground.

Stars danced in front of her eyes as she tried to catch her breath, which had left her when her back made contact with the ground. Rolling to her side, she coughed as her vision cleared before two rough hands picked her up by her wrists.

"Well, aren't you a pretty little thing," the man sneered.

She kicked him as hard as she could and wrenched herself from his grip as he doubled over, but just as she turned to run, two arms caught her from behind. They wrapped tightly across her chest, pinning her arms at her sides.

"That wasn't very nice." She shivered as the man's hot breath licked at her neck.

She struggled against her captor, inciting only laughter as the first righted himself and approached her. She saw the fist coming but was powerless to avoid it. The blow connected painfully with her cheek and her vision darkened for a few moments.

"Leave her alone!"

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Two updates in one day, whew! I'm really enjoying this story. I hope you are too.

You remember those fight scenes I've been talking about that started out as one fight scene, morphed into two, well now I've got three. Kaiya vs Jet and Kaiya vs The Men are above. Next chapter will have more. Man, for someone who hates to write combat, I can't seem to get away from it.

What do you think of my fight scenes? Do they flow? Are they easy to picture? Anything I can do to make them better?

Oh, and there's a tiny Harry Potter reference in this chapter. I've been wanting to see if I can write on request so I'll grant a request fic to the first person to find it.


	4. Accusation

No one found the reference I was talking about. It was the 'gleam of triumph' in her eyes. But strangely there was another Harry Potter reference in that chapter I hadn't realized I used. Kudo's to those of you who pointed that out. Kinda freaky that I quote HP subconsciously.

So NullChronicler, a post-war Taang fic it is.

* * *

**What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us. - Helen Keller **

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Chapter 4 - Accusation**

After he realized she had not followed him into the trees, Jet turned back. He reentered the clearing to see Kaiya being restrained by one man as another, larger and more muscular, reared back and punched Kaiya in the face. Jet seethed with anger as he launched himself at her assailant.

"Leave her alone!" he commanded, his face twisted in fury, eyebrows arching violently.

The shadows that obscured Kaiya's vision dissipated as she lifted her head. Before her, Jet, with hook swords drawn, charged the man who had struck her. Using the momentary diversion to her advantage, she pushed hard off the ground and threw her head back to collide with her captor's nose. His arms slackened and she pulled away, falling a few feet in front of him for she was still a bit dazed from the blow. Her hand immediately went to her face, which throbbed painfully.

She scrambled to her feet as the second man recovered. He was younger than the first with strange red markings around his eyes and a longbow strapped to his back. The archer approached her menacingly with one hand clutched over his nose to stem the flow of blood. Knowing that she was at a disadvantage with out her weapons, she backed away.

Jet saw her dilemma and tossed her one of his hook swords while keeping the other in perpetual motion to prevent being disarmed by the chain that lashed at him. Jet ducked as it moved in a large arc, narrowly missing his head. The man adjusted his aim and the ball returned on a path to collide with Jet's legs. Seizing this opportunity, Jet jammed the hilt of his sword into the ground causing the chain to wrap the handle. Jet grabbed the chain and lobbed the ball back at the man, who ducked it easily but the distraction gave Jet the opening he needed to close the distance between them to where he could fight most effectively.

Kaiya stood facing the archer, holding the hook sword with both hands, its weight and size unfamiliar. The young man pulled a dagger from behind his back, but instead of aiming for Kaiya, he turned and hurled the weapon at Jet.

"Jet, no!" she screamed.

The knife spun in the air with incredible speed and accuracy. She watched, as if in slow motion, the hilt of the knife made contact with Jet's temple. His head was knocked to the side with the force of the blow and he slumped to a heap in the dirt. Her skin seared with a flush of rage and she realized she was screaming. She sliced at the archer while burning tears distorted the image of the two men.

It only took them a few moments to disarm the distraught girl. The archer held her tightly with one arm around her waist; the other hand grabbed a fistful of her long hair to keep her from escaping like before.

The older man secured Jet's hands behind his back and gripping his arm, pulled him to his knees. Jet's head lolled to the side, a groan escaping his lips. The man backhanded him across the face and his eyes blinked open. For a few seconds Jet's expression was blank but quickly turned defiant as he took in the scene around him.

Kaiya thrashed, pulling at the arm that pressed her against the archer's chest who responded by jerking her hair back so roughly that her gaze was forced to the sky. Her breath escaped in heated bursts as she bit back a scream.

"Let her go! She's not worth anything to you."

"And you think you are?" said the man who sneered at Jet before kicking him in the ribs.

"Yes." Jet groaned as he rolled to his side.

"No, don't!" she cried, realizing what he was about to do.

"My name is Jet and I'm wanted by the Fire Nation. Let her go and I'll come without a fight."

"I've heard of you," the archer spoke up. "I saw his poster in town, Kachi. I believe it said he was wanted dead or alive."

The older man laughed derisively as he picked up the archer's dagger that still lay on the ground.

_They're going to kill him._

With that realization, a silent war raged within Kaiya. She might be able to save him, but the shame of her past held her paralyzed. She didn't feel brave in the face of this danger; she felt weak and afraid. She was transported back to the distressed twelve-year-old who was terrified of her own hands.

"_Leave me alone, Kido," she said, turning away from the boy who antagonized her._

"_Why? You know it's true. It's probably why you were abandoned."_

_Her little fists shook with fury as the boy moved to block her path. _

"_My mother's told me stories about them; monsters that come to steal our benders, that destroy everything they touch, whose hearts burn with hate, Fire Nation monsters with eyes like flames."_

"_NO!" she screamed and moved to push him away, but her hands never made contact. _

_As she thrust her arms forward, she felt the heat of her anger surge into a swirling mass within her chest then shoot forward through her veins and muscles exploding out of her palms. As the force of the blast threw Kido backward, Kaiya's eyes widened in shock. Her breath hitched in her chest as she stared at her still smoking hands. _

"No."

"NO!" she screamed, calling forth the fire that she had long forced dormant. An animalistic yell of rage erupted from her mouth as she bent flames around her, forcing the hands that bound her to release their hold.

It was clumsy, the fire that came. Using awkward punches and swings, she released the fire that coursed through her body. She advanced, her passion blazing a molten trail of blinding streaks through the air. Each burst stole her breath and when the men retreated, she fell to her knees, gasping for the oxygen she needed to replenish her aching muscles.

Jet watched all of this. His eyes that had widened in shock now narrowed as he scowled at the girl before him.

_Firebender._

Familiar hate flooded his senses and mingled with the overwhelming sting of betrayal.

Kaiya, still winded from her exertion, stumbled over to Jet. She reached down and seared the knot that bound his hands.

He rubbed his wrists as she moved to stand before him, her hand outstretched to help him up though she kept her eyes averted.

"Come on," she said shakily. "We have to get out of here before they come back."

When he didn't take her hand, she forced herself to look at him, afraid of what she would see. He ignored her pleading gaze and gingerly pushed himself to stand before turning his back on her.

She reached out and grasped his arm. "Jet..."

He jerked his arm away and spun to face her. She stumbled back a step, surprised by hate and loathing in his eyes. His glare penetrated her every defense and tore open wounds long forgotten.

"Get away from me, firebender," he spat, his voice low and dangerous.

"Jet, no—I'm not—don't," she began and took a step forward, her hand trembling as she reached out to him before he pushed it away.

"If I ever see you again, I will kill you."

His threat hung in the air, thick as the smoke from the battle as she watched him pick up his hook swords and walk away. She stood there for a few seconds before she collapsed to the ground, utterly defeated. Through tear-streaked eyes, she stared at her hands; the hands that cast flames, the hands that stole from her all she ever cared about. She clenched her fists so tight that her nails dug into her palms. As she beat upon the ground in her torment, wisps of smoke trailed from her fists but she refused to release the inferno that was building within her. She rocked back and forth completely consumed with the grief of another life destroyed, another home lost.

So caught up was she in her self-hatred that she did not at first hear the men return.

She remained still and as they closed in around her, she waited for the first strike. She lifted her eyes to look into the cold metal face of an armored soldier, but refused to raise a hand in her own defense. The moment her eyes made contact, a searing pain erupted across her shoulder. The blast of fire knocked her to her side and the smell of burning cloth and flesh filled her nose. She screamed in pain, writhing upon the ground. She could hear the men arguing as her vision darkened and she succumbed to the comforting silence of unconsciousness.

**

* * *

Author's Notes**

Don't you just love a good cliffie? No? Oh, sorry about that then. I thought it might be fun to let you wonder for a while whether she survives.

You know what else is fun? Acting out these scenes so that I can be sure I describe them accurately. You should see the looks I get when a member of my family walks in on me. That last scene with Jet and Kaiya I acted out several times...

...from both perspectives.

I liked being Jet more.

Please review. I worked really hard on this chapter. (I think I've mentioned before how much I hate writing fight scenes.) Let me know if it was worth it.


	5. Antipathy

**Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. - Helen Keller **

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I also do not own the lyrics to the song Wish You Well. Those belong to Thousand Foot Krutch, whose music was my inspiration for this story.

**Chapter 5 - Antipathy**

_The boy lay unmoving in the snow, his face charred. The smell of his burnt flesh assaulted her senses. She turned and ran. Hurtling around a corner and unable to see the person blocking her path, she ran headlong into them._

"_Whoa, what's wrong?" the woman said gently as she pulled back the hood of the child who had just crashed into her, but as soon as she recognized Kaiya's face, her concerned expression turned to one of contempt. "What happened?" she said impatiently._

"_Kido, he's hurt," she choked past a sob. She pointed the woman toward where the boy lay. The woman pushed her aside and took off in the direction Kaiya indicated. _

_Kaiya followed several steps behind. She heard the woman gasp and saw her drop to her knees beside the injured boy. Suddenly, the woman turned. Kaiya stumbled back at the hateful accusation in her eyes._

"_What did you do?" the woman shrieked. _

"_I—I don't know. I didn't mean to."_

_The woman's face had distorted into one of absolute loathing and revulsion, "Get away from us, demon!"_

Kaiya awoke to agonizing pain that radiated from her right shoulder; powerful tremors so strong they made her nauseous. She opened her eyes and saw that she had been tied to a tree, her arms pulled tightly back around the trunk behind her with her hands bound together. She pulled against the restraints to test them but let out a manic scream as the movement caused the burn covering her shoulder to crack. Dark, sticky blood seeped from the wound and ran down over her chest.

As stars danced behind her eyes, she gritted her teeth against the pain that blurred her vision and threatened to engulf her. After a few moments of fighting the darkness, the shadows receded. She looked down to see the shoulder of her shirt had been burned away and what charred material remained was clinging to a vicious burn that oozed yellow fluid. She tried to focus on breathing slowly but even the small movement of her chest rising and falling wracked her body in agony.

_I have to get free. _

The smell of her blood and burned flesh was sure to attract the attention of scavengers. She tried to shift her body once more, but the ropes around her torso were too tight; they prevented even the smallest movements.

_No one is going to come looking for me. I have to get out of this on my own...somehow_, she thought despondently.

Then, a wave of inspiration hit.

_If I could just burn through the ropes... _

She summoned a flame in each palm and directed the flickering heat toward her wrists. The fire licked at the ropes, but after several excruciating minutes, she only managed to add burned wrists to her list of injuries. Stinging tears fell as the hopelessness of the situation washed over her.

* * *

Longshot crouched, his muscles tense, in his usual position as sentry. Though he felt the effects of exhaustion, he remained transfixed on the forest floor, eyes and ears straining as he kept watch. Many hours had passed since Jet and Kaiya left the hideout and as the night progressed, his feelings of disappointment gave way to anger and resentment. 

Finally, in the colorless haze that preceded dawn, he caught sight of movement. Emerging into the shadow of the hideout was Jet. He was alone. Longshot's frown deepened as he tried to construct a scenario that would explain Kaiya's absence. He jumped down from his post, landing lightly several feet away from his leader.

Jet stopped. The two boys stood there for a moment before Jet stepped past Longshot and made his way up into the hideout, never once meeting Longshot's gaze.

"Hey, Jet, just now getting back?" Smellerbee said through a yawn as she stretched her arms wide.

When Jet didn't answer, she looked up and saw Longshot step onto the platform too. The intensity in the look she received startled her and it didn't take long for her to understand what was troubling her friend.

"Where's Kaiya?"

Jet did not respond as he stalked across the platform and disappeared behind the cloth that covered the doorway of his hut. Smellerbee looked back at Longshot in question, but his eyes had gone silent.

* * *

Zuko was fuming, literally, as he stormed through the forest toward the coastline where his ship was anchored. Having just lost a boat and the Avatar, he was currently in the process of trying to lose his accursed Uncle. 

"Stupid lotus tile," the prince grumbled under his breath.

A shadow passed over him. He glanced up to see a vulture hawk circling overhead. Brought out of his grumblings, he was surprised to see that he had stumbled upon the scene of a fight. Evidence of the struggle was all around him. The fight must have occurred not more that a day ago; the marks on the ground were still clear.

In no hurry to rejoin his Uncle within the confines of the ship, he decided to investigate. Scorch marks and singed leaves were everywhere. Footprints littered the area except for a smooth tract that stretched from the center of the clearing to one edge.

Following these confusing marks, he pushed through a dense growth of bushes. His breath caught in his chest as his mind attempted to register what it was seeing. The gruesome sight was somewhat lessened by the dappled light that filtered down through the canopy but he still had to fight back the bile that rose in his chest.

Before him, a young girl was tied to a tree by ropes that stretched taunt across her thin frame. Her body hung limply against the cords; a curtain of lank, dirty hair hiding her face. A huge burn wound covered her shoulder. The crusted, charred skin stretched from her neck, across her collarbone and down her right arm. Blackened material clung to the edges of the burn. The ropes below the wound were stained with her blood.

He swore with indignation as righteous anger swelled within him. He was no stranger to the damage that unrestrained firebending could inflict. Where was the honor in torturing a child? Before he began to draw disturbing parallels, he shut off his mind to that line of thought.

He cautiously moved forward, certain the girl was dead, but stopped when he heard a sharp gasp followed by a pained whimper.

"Help me...please."

Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

"Don't speak. I'm going to cut you down."

He moved to the backside of the tree to untie her hands. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw. The ropes were burned into her wrists. If he made any attempt to remove the ropes, it would tear open her wounds.

Zuko stepped back in front of her and bent down to see her face. Her eyes were shut tight in a grimace; her body shook with each shuddering gasp.

He forced his voice to remain steady. "I can't let you down yet. You might bleed to death before I could get you the help you need."

She did not respond.

"My uncle is close by. I won't be long."

Without another word, he took off through the trees. He hated himself for leaving her tied to the tree in the state she was in, but he had no other choice.

_

* * *

How long has it been since he left?_ she thought as she struggled to breathe. She could feel the familiar heat in her veins weakening. _I'm not going to make it_. 

The familiar taunts of self-loathing tormented her, unchecked as she gave into the despair.

_He said he would return._

_No one ever comes back. _

_Abandoned by my parents, shunned by my tribe, even Jet hates me now that he knows what I am. _

_I'm an outcast, a freak. ._

_I'm gonna die here; alone and friendless. No one will miss me._

* * *

"Uncle!" 

"Prince Zuko, I know you're probably still upset about your boat—what happened?"

"I found a girl. She's hurt and I need your help," he said between breaths.

Iroh's face hardened. "Where?"

**

* * *

Author's Notes**

In my disclaimer, I mentioned Thousand Foot Krutch. They're my favorite band. Their newest album came out recently. Its titled The Flame in All of Us. You know what I was thinking.

Firebenders!

**Wish You Well** by **TFK **

Sometimes love feels like pain...

Sometimes life feels just like rain...

Sometimes faith feels like doubt...

Sometimes life hurts just like now...

To hear the whole song, copy to your browser and remove the spaces. http:// www. youtube. com/watch?vbCUIPCbjfzs

I'm so proud of this story. Test of Poison didn't even have this many reviews after four chapters. You've all been so awesome. Please don't stop sharing your perspective with me. Hearing from you guys is as much fun for me as the actual writing.


	6. Agony

**Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. ****Only through experiences of trials and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved. - Helen Keller **

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, but I think Sokka could give Dr. Phil a run for his money. Whom would you rather go to for a therapy session?

**Chapter 6 - Agony**

Zuko led his uncle swiftly through the dense forest. Surprisingly enough, the old man kept pace despite his rotund exterior. Zuko's mind fixed solely upon getting back to the wounded girl as he tore his way through the tangled undergrowth. He could clearly see the haunting image of her bound to the tree, so vividly was it burned into his memory. Her pitiful cry for help repeated in his thoughts. Focus was never something that Prince Zuko lacked and now the whole of his concentration was intent upon one thing. He would save her. She would survive this nightmare.

Zuko pushed into the clearing, his eyes falling upon the broken girl. "I'm back."

Zuko felt a small measure of relief as the girl lifted her head, but before her face was revealed, a pained gasp escaped her lips and her head fell forward again.

"I can't move," she said between shallow trembling breaths. "My neck...it's burned."

"We know," he said, moving closer. "We are going to help you." He looked at his uncle, pleading for reassurance.

Iroh had stepped out from behind Zuko and caught sight of the injured young woman. His trained eyes took in the details of the atrocious scene, from the ragged blue clothing that hung from her too skinny frame, to the wounds that obscured her tanned skin.

"You left her bound like this?" Iroh's voice carried shock and disapproval.

Zuko straightened from where he had bent down to observe the girl's breathing, which had weakened considerably. "I had no choice, Uncle. Look at her hands."

Iroh rounded the tree. His eyes flashed in alarm flash as he saw the fire-inflicted damage. Burns and blisters covered the tender flesh of her forearms stretching from her slender wrists to the bend of her elbows. He shook his head at the vicious torture the girl had endured and when he turned his face toward Zuko, his expression was grave but determined.

"Zuko, I'm going to cut her loose. Hold her steady. Make sure she doesn't fall."

Zuko quickly moved into position but had difficulty finding a way to steady her without putting pressure on her extensive wounds. He finally settled with standing at her left side. One hand grasped her uninjured shoulder, while his other arm wrapped tightly around her waist. He grimaced as his forearm stuck to the blood that covered the right side of her tunic.

"Ready?" Iroh said from behind the tree.

"Yes."

He felt her body stiffen a moment before he heard the sickening sound that could only be the burned rope being peeled from her wrists. Her face contorted and her mouth opened in a silent cry before she gritted her teeth against the pain. At this close proximity, Zuko was aware of the shudders of pain that overtook her. He wanted to give a word of comfort but the phrases that came to mind would be empty and useless to her. He did not know if she would be okay. He did not know if her pain would be over soon. He refused to tell her meaningless lies.

"Zuko, I'm cutting her from the tree now."

Zuko stepped closer to her. Moving one hand under her arm and the other on her hip, he prepared to support her weight. The ropes began to fall away and Zuko steadied himself before her. As Iroh severed the last knot, she slipped forward. Her legs buckled, unable to support her weight. Zuko was ready and slipped his arm around her back as she fell into his chest. A piercing scream erupted from her lips as the burn on her shoulder made contact with Zuko's armor.

He quickly turned and lowered the girl to her back. She was shaking and tears streamed down her face. Her back arched as she squirmed under the agonizing grip of pain. Suddenly, she stilled.

"Did she pass out?" Zuko asked, not moving from where he hovered over her.

"Is she breathing?"

Zuko bent his head close to her mouth and listened. "No, she's not," his voice edged with panic.

Iroh knelt down next to Zuko and placed his hands in a double fist at the center of her chest. "Tilt her head back and when I tell you, breathe for her."

Zuko quickly obeyed. Placing a hand under her neck, he tilted her chin up. Pushing away a lock of brown hair that had fallen across her face, he saw her face clearly for the first time. She was young, her features smooth and innocent now that they were no longer distorted in response to the pain. A bruise had blossomed from the left side of her delicate jaw and her lower lip was swollen.

"Now, Zuko."

Zuko quickly sealed his lips around girl's and exhaled into her mouth.

After the eighth breath he gave her, Zuko asked furiously, "Why isn't it working?"

"She might...be to far gone." Iroh said between compressions, beads of sweat running down his face.

"No." Zuko stated with conviction. "We cannot fail her."

When his lips make contact again, he felt her inhale. He pulled back, immensely relieved. She coughed a few times and then moaned at the sting of pain that movement caused.

Iroh tore a strip of cloth from the bottom of his tunic and quickly began to bind her wrists. Heedless of her cries of torment, he pulled the cloth tight, for pools of blood had already formed on the ground at her sides.

"We need to get her to the ship, Zuko," he said as he worked. "You can get there faster than I. Bring the medic back with you and several men to carry her."

Zuko nodded in ascent and sprinted toward the coastline.

Iroh noticed that she had fallen silent once again but her chest continued to rise and fall as she drew breath. Her breathing was still very labored, but at least she was breathing on her own. It was probably a good thing that she remained unconscious. Better, that she be unaware of her pain, than risk injuring herself further by trying to move in response to it.

He looked over her slight body for any other injuries that might require immediate attention. Finding none, he stood and surveyed the area while keeping a close eye on the abused child.

In what seemed like minutes, Zuko reappeared with Shin, the ship's medic, and four soldiers.

"Dear God!" Shin exclaimed when he realized the magnitude of her injuries. He looked to Zuko and Iroh for an explanation. When none came, he turned to the girl and began to check her vital signs.

"Is this girl Water Tribe?" he asked as he pulled supplies from his bag.

"She appears to be," responded Iroh, who had come to the girl's other side to assist the medic.

Zuko hovered over Shin's shoulder as the man examined her wounds. The medic began to cut away the remnants of her shirt, which were shredded and charred. Cloth bindings were revealed underneath. The dingy white fabric was soiled and stained red in a wide band across the right side. Zuko turned his head when Shin began to cut those away as well. It was then he noticed the soldiers standing around.

"Give her some privacy!" he ordered.

Zuko folded his arms across his chest and glared at the men who had quickly turned around. Several minutes passed in near silence as Shin and Iroh attended to the girl.

"Zuko, I've cleaned the wound as best I can, but there is nothing more I can do for her here."

Zuko turned to see Iroh lay a stretcher on the ground beside the girl, who now had a white sheet draped over her torso, effectively hiding her burns and preserving her modesty. Shin called the soldiers over and directed them in lifting her to the mat.

It was a long slow walk back to the ship. Iroh and Shin led the procession discussing what medicinal supplies they would need to restock to properly care for the girl's extensive burns. Each soldier held a corner of the stretcher taking care to move smoothly under the critical gaze of the prince.

Zuko stayed at her side, his expression devoid of the storm of emotions that surged forward as he considered the recovery she would face if she escaped this horrendous ordeal with her life.

**

* * *

Author Notes**

I hope you all like Longshot because he seems to have hijacked this story. Not this chapter, but you'll see what I mean in the next one. I'm serious, I have all these scenes planned and subplots I'm working toward and he seems to jump into nearly every one. My intended romances are completely in the air now because of him. Who knew a mute boy could be so darn persistent.

I'm having such a great time with this story and thank you so much everyone who reviewed. Right now, chapter 5 has 49 hits and 10 reviews. That's one review for every 5 hits. You all are so awesome. I even got a Go Zuko! cheer from SeriouslyGir and an acrostic poem from TiffanyV. Way to express yourself, guys!

Thank you, OveractiveImagination39 and NullChronicler. Your detailed reviews really give me something to think about and you even picked up on future scenes. Can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter!


	7. Affection

**The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. - Helen Keller **

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I don't have anything else to say.

**Chapter 7 - Affection**

Smellerbee sat with her back against the wall and tugged her crooked dagger out of the wooden floorboard before chunking it back in with a flick of her wrist. The spot in front of her was beginning to resemble a pile of splinters from the continued abuse. Wrenching the dagger out again, she stared across the room that suddenly felt very empty. Her brown eyes focused upon the small bed that should have been occupied by her only female companion. Being the only girls in the group afforded Kaiya and Smellerbee the small luxury of having a separate room to sleep and change in, away from the boys. It had always felt like a retreat, but now, without Kaiya, it felt like a prison.

A soft knock broke through her depressing thoughts. Smellerbee went to the door and pulled back the threadbare cloth draped across the narrow opening. Longshot stood outside the door, his face completely hidden in the shadow cast by his wide hat.

"Jet wouldn't say anything about her," she said solemnly as she stepped aside to let him in before returning to her spot on the floor. "When I asked if we should go look for her, he got mad. Something happened but if Jet won't talk, there's nothing we can do." She stabbed the floor in frustration.

Longshot cast his eyes around the room. Upon a well-worn mat in the corner lay a bag he immediately recognized as Kaiya's. He looked back at Smellerbee and inclined his head toward her bag.

"Sure, go ahead. I don't know what you're hoping to find."

He reached into the bag and withdrew a pair of short knives. The blades were chipped and any design that may have embellished the handles had long since disappeared.

_"Longshot, I'm never going to get the hang of this bow. By the time I get the string drawn back, my hand is shaking so bad that I couldn't hit a badger mole." _

_Kaiya sat down with a huff. They had been at this for days and Kaiya had shown no improvement in the drills he had given her. She handed him the bow and sat down, facing away from him. Her shoulders sagged and her breath rushed out in a defeated sigh. He had noticed her shakiness and had contributed it to weakness so he set for her drills to strengthen her upper body. He watched as she reached a hand over her shoulder and began kneading a muscle in her back. _

_She was sore. _

_Longshot shook his head as he surveyed the girl. He should have realized this before. He knew Kaiya spent her morning training with Jet, but never considered that this could adversely affect her afternoon sessions with him. _

_He propped the bow against a nearby tree and pulled a short-bladed knife from his pack. Turning back to their practice target, he threw the knife with pinpoint precision. Kaiya turned when she heard the heavy thud of the knife instead of the whistle of an arrow. Longshot saw her face change from an expression of dejection to one of hopeful anticipation. Her face brightened as she flashed Longshot a smile so pure and unguarded, so beautiful that even if he were the most articulate man on the planet, he was sure it would have rendered him speechless. As it were, he was finding breathing difficult. _

The intensity of the memory surprised Longshot. She had only been gone for a day, but he already missed her terribly.

He set the knives down and continued to dig through the bag. He found nothing more of consequence until he reached the bottom of the bag and pulled out a grubby little package. He untied the string and pulled back the cloth. Within he found a small piece of parchment bearing one word, Kaiya.

Disheartened at the lack of information her belongings revealed, Longshot moved to set the package on her bed when something else fell from within the folds of fabric. It was a small blue stone, perfectly round but flat like a coin. Turning it over in his palm, he noticed that upon one side it bore a carving. The swirls etched into the smooth surface might have represented waves or something similar, but the symbol was only half-finished.

He carefully repacked Kaiya's bag and slung it over his shoulder as he got up to leave.

"She's out there, somewhere. Maybe we'll see her again."

Longshot stopped at the door, a strange tightness in his chest and throat. He nodded at Smellerbee's attempt to reassure him, but continued on without meeting her gaze.

* * *

Back on the ship, Zuko paced outside the infirmary, too anxious to do anything else as he awaited a report on the girl's condition. Zuko unclenched his fists when the door opened and Shin motioned for him to enter. 

"Apart from the burns on her shoulder and wrists, the only other injuries I've found are some deep bruising on her face and across her back. She appears to be slightly malnourished. Her body is in shock and..."

Zuko hardly heard the report as he walked over to the girl's bedside. The first thing he noticed was that she was clean. Her face held a peaceful expression, her softly arched eyebrows and pink lips relaxed in sleep. The large bruise on her jaw stood out harshly now that the dirt and grime no longer masked the blue and purple abrasion. Her hair appeared much darker, near black, now that it was clean. It had been pulled to one side to keep it from sticking to the burn and fell in glossy waves across the bright white sheets on which she lay. The burn on her shoulder had been left uncovered. It looked just as severe with the way the flickering lamplight reflected its wet sheen. Clean white cloths encircled her chest and he was pleased to see that she was breathing deeper and more easily than before. Strips of cotton gauze had replaced Iroh's makeshift bandages on her wrists. The rest of her body lay hidden under a thin blanket.

"Will she survive?" he asked, turning suddenly to the still rambling man.

Shin looked down at the girl and seemed to weigh his words, "It's too soon to tell. Infection will be a very real threat until that wound seals and she is in danger of becoming dehydrated, which would seriously complicate her recovery."

"If it is within your power to save her, I expect it done. Notify me when she awakens."

"Yes, Prince Zuko but I don't expect her to regain consciousness this evening"

"I understand." Zuko walked to the door, but paused when he reached the door. "Just do all you can for her, Shin, as you did for me."

"Yes, Sir."

**

* * *

Author's Notes**

The following is the song that gave me my title. If you squint, you'll be able to see my entire story line.

Broken Wing by TFK

_I don't want to see, I don't want to be, I don't wanna be anyone, anymore._

_I don't want to fake, I don't want to break, I don't wanna say anything, anymore,_

_Every time you walk away, I wish you'd stay, instead of pushing further away._

_Every time I hear you say I just need one, to take this pain away._

_You're a broken wing, not a broken thing,_

_You can heal in time, if you try,_

_It'll be okay, you can walk away._

_I won't laugh, I won't look, I won't listen if you just get up._

_I won't laugh, I won't look, I won't listen if you just stand._

_Every time I lie awake, I wish I could take it all away,_

_Every time my heart breaks, I wish I could make it all seem safe._

Isn't it beautiful? I swear these guys are geniuses when it comes to music. And yes, Kaiya is the broken wing. I'll let you guess who would say this to her.

Please review. It doesn't have to be long and detailed (though I love those), I find even the shortest reviews encouraging.


	8. Adversity

**I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do. - Helen Keller**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own blah blah blah...

...wait...

...those blahs...

...I think I do own them.

**Disclaimer:** I do own blah blah blah.

**Chapter 8 –**** Adversity**

Smellerbee rushed into the room where Longshot lay staring at the darkened ceiling, Kaiya's bag at his side. He sat up quickly when she dropped to her knees beside him. Her shoulders where shaking and the red paint on her cheeks was smeared. He looked at her, eyes full of uncertainty.

"It's K-Kaiya..." She began, her voice chocked and broken. She wiped furiously at her eyes. "...the Fire Nation...they took her."

Longshot jumped forward and grabbed Smellerbee's arms, forcing her to look at him.

"Jet said—he said the Fire Nation took her last night and that's why he didn't come back 'til this morning." Her voice cracked as she tried to continue. "He's got bruises on his side and he said they knocked him out and that when he woke up, she was gone."

Releasing his grip on the distressed girl, Longshot slung Kaiya's bag over his shoulder and reached for his bow and quiver.

"What are you doing?"

He straightened the straps across his chest and met Smellerbee's troubled gaze, his eyes alight with purpose, his intention clear.

"You can't go after her. We don't know where they've gone. Jet said she's probably on her way to some prison by now."

A tense silent exchange followed this statement.

"I know. I want to do something too. Jet said the army has moved into the northern edge of the forest. We're gonna head out in the morning to get rid of them. He said as soon as we rid this valley of the Fire Nation, we'll be free to go after Kaiya."

Longshot slumped to the ground as though defeated, his back against the wall.

"Longshot..." she began, but the boy's face remained hidden in his hands.

* * *

Shin sat at his desk in the corner of the ship's infirmary. His patient lay on the low metal cot on the other side of the room. She had yet to rouse from her slumber. Shin rubbed his eyes tiredly and wondered how many hours remained before the sun broke over the horizon. Not that he would be able to see it; there were no windows in the wide room. 

Shin had spent the last few hours looking through his scrolls. Somewhere among the dusty volumes was a medical journal that held information about treating those who were not of Fire Nation descent. Produced for the use of the doctors who served the prisons and coalmines, this document had been among those Shin had chosen to bring when he prepared to join Prince Zuko on his quest.

He recalled clearly the night that General Iroh had come to him requesting that he join the hastily assembled crew who would follow the prince into exile. He had just closed the door to the Prince's chambers, having attended to the boy's injuries to the best of his ability when he noticed the general waiting in the hall. There was intense sorrow written upon the man's face as he explained the situation, including the conditions set for the boy's return. The Fire Lord had marked his son with dishonor and was sending him away with little hope of redemption.

For as long as he could remember, Shin had wanted to be a doctor. He held a distinct compassion toward those who were sick or injured and the satisfaction he felt when a patient recovered was indescribable. He had enjoyed his years serving the royal family, but the abuse he had seen that day was the most horrendous act he had ever witnessed. After seeing the guilt in the old man's eyes and the shame on the suffering young prince, he decided that he would rather spend the rest of his years on a fool's errand with the disgraced heir than continue his service at the palace.

Shin pushed aside the memories that the girl's injuries ignited and quickly scanned over the tiny script until he came upon the passage he had been searching for. The main difference he found in treating a Water Tribesman was in the regulation of body temperature. Natives of the Fire Nation, especially benders, had significantly higher core temperatures than those of Water Tribe descent.

He stood up, carrying the scroll with him, and went to the girl's bedside. Following the information in the scroll, he checked over his patient again. Her breathing, though weak, was level, her heartbeat strong, and—Shin looked up from the paper. He pressed the back of his hand to the girl's forehead and cheek again to be sure.

* * *

"Thank you, that will be enough," said Shin, taking the pail of ice from the soldier, who turned to leave. "And summon Prince Zuko and General Iroh. The girl is waking." 

Moments later, Iroh entered the room, closely followed by Prince Zuko. The girl lay on the cot, shivering violently. Her dark complexion appeared sallow and ashy in the dimly lit room. Small wet cloths draped across her arms, legs, and midriff. The blanket lay discarded on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked harshly. "Doesn't she need to stay warm?"

Kaiya recognized that voice; he was the one who had returned to her, the one who had saved her. She opened her eyes and searched for the voice's owner. The men at her bedside continued talking and did not notice her shifting gaze.

"She has a fever." Shin replied calmly, as he turned to face the prince.

"But, that's good. It means her body is trying to heal itself," Zuko's voice was lined with annoyance.

"In Fire Nation peoples, yes, but she is Water Tribe." Shin's patient response revealed that he had long since learned how to deal with the prince's temper. "High fevers are very dangerous for them. They thrive in the Arctic temperatures of the poles. Her body will heal much faster once this fever is broken."

"I'm cold." The tiny voice interrupted the conversation and brought the attention of the three men back to the shaking girl.

"It is alright. This is the quickest way to bring down your fever." Shin answered her reassuringly. He lifted the damp cloth off her forehead and replaced it with one fresh out of the frigid water.

A fresh wave of tremors swept through her body as the sodden material chilled her skin. She could feel the icy liquid seeping the fire, her very life, out of her veins. She lifted her gaze and locked eyes with the young man at her side.

Zuko was startled to see eyes of vivid gold looking back at him from the girl's face. Their intense color contrasted severely, almost unnaturally with her dark skin. Iroh seemed to notice the significance of this as well. His brows knit together in a slight frown, contemplative and discerning.

She reached for Zuko's arm. "Please, you don't understand," she pleaded, her teeth chattering. "I'm dying. I can feel it."

He thought he could feel it too, a strange weakening of the flames in the room, almost imperceptible. The light from the torches flickered and dimmed so slightly that Zuko was sure he had imagined it. Her gaze seemed to loose focus and her eyelids slowly closed. The hand that had grasped his sleeve fell heavily to her side as her body relaxed.

Iroh stepped forward.

"It's fine, General Iroh," said Shin. "I didn't expect her to stay awake for very—"

"Get these off of her," Iroh said firmly. He reached forward and began to remove the icy cloths that covered her body.

"But Iroh-" the medic sputtered before Iroh interrupted him with a stern glance.

"Can you not see? She is not Water Tribe, not completely. The blood of the Fire Nation flows in her veins."

Zuko stood in shocked silence as Iroh bent down and retrieved the blanket from the floor.

"Zuko, heat the room. Shin, help me warm her."

Zuko quickly shook aside the many questions that had sprung to mind and turned to face the torches that flanked the metal room. He lowered his head. Bringing his hands together in front of him; he closed his eyes and focused upon the meager flames within those small lamps. Breathing deeply, Zuko released his energy. The currently weak, flickering light lifted to a strong, brilliant blaze that shone red through his eyelids. By carefully controlling his breathing, he was able to continue to pour energy into the fire.

He was practiced in this kind of flame control, as it was very useful during meditation. During these exercises, he would push the flames to rise. Then, as he would relax, they would fall, but now something was different. He noticed a change in the flames, as before, when he felt them weakening, he now felt an indefinable pull on his chi energy. It was as though the flames were pulling from him the strength they needed to blaze higher. He felt the temperature in the room climb and as soon as it was comfortably warm, he exhaled deeply bringing his arms down to his sides. The connection was broken and the torches returned to their usual muted glow.

Zuko turned back to Shin and Iroh, who were unaware of the anomaly Zuko had just experienced. Kaiya was now covered with the blanket, all except for her head and the burn across her shoulder. Her skin had returned to a healthier shade and her cheeks appeared flushed with warmth. Shin was rubbing his hands back and forth across her legs to increase circulation. His expression held a mixture of distress and shame as he muttered apologies to Iroh.

Iroh's hands were glowing with carefully controlled radiant heat as he held them several inches above Kaiya's quiescent form. He noticed Zuko come to stand by his side.

"Prince Zuko, are you alright?"

Zuko looked at Iroh, confused by the question, until he ran the back of his hand across his forehead and realized he was sweating.

"Yes. It's nothing. I'm fine."

Shin looked up from what he was doing to question Zuko. The prince just glared back, effectively preventing any further concern from the medic.

Kaiya's eyelids fluttered open, capturing the attention of the three men. She looked around slowly, taking in her surroundings. Her gaze focused on Shin, near her feet, and then on Iroh, at her side, before settling on Zuko, who stood near the head of the cot. Her eyes softened and her lips parted as if she was going to speak, but then her eyes closed heavily, though not before the ghost of a smile graced her mouth.

**

* * *

Author's Notes**

I had some requests for longer chapters and I'm proud to say this one beat all but the prologue by about 400 words. Keep those reviews coming. They really inspired me to get this chapter done.

I made a timeline to help me stay on track as I write out these parallel storylines. You know, so that I can keep it straight and because I'm obsessive like that. I added it below. I thought some of you might like to see it and it could help you follow the story.

**Timeline**

Day 1

Evening, Jet and Kaiya get ambushed by the Rough Rhinos.

Evening, Jet leaves Kaiya and she's attacked and tied to the tree.

Day 2

Morning, Jet returns without Kaiya.

Afternoon, Zuko finds her and brings her to ship.

Afternoon, Longshot gets Kaiya's bag.

Evening, Jet tells Smellerbee what happened to Kaiya (or his version of it).

Night, Shin looks through scrolls.

Day 3

Morning, Shin's disastrous attempt to control Kaiya's fever.

Morning, Freedom Fighters head out to ambush the Fire Nation troops.

If you liked this and found it helpful, just say so and I'll just keep adding to it in future chapters. The timeline will get a bit more confusing once the Freedom Fighters meet the gaang.


	9. Angst

**Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light. - Helen Keller**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Do I really have to keep doing this?

**Chapter 9 –** **Angst**

The morning dawned bright and clear. The Freedom Fighters were already in position among the trees that encircled the Fire Nation camp, anxiously awaiting Jet's signal to attack, as they had so many times before. The familiar adrenaline-induced excitement primed their young bodies for the moment they could let their weapons fly and release their pent-up energy into the fray of battle.

Longshot held himself easily upon the thick limb of a towering oak. His normally stoic expression was dark and troubled; thoughts swirling like a raging tempest, continually gaining strength. Earlier that morning, in the inky blackness that preceded dawn, the motley crew had assembled, readying their weapons and performing their assigned tasks in preparation for the impending raid. Not once in the rushed activity was the missing member of their team mentioned. Her place had been filled much too easily by a simple shift in Jet's strategy. They acted as if she was never there, a shadow that fled with the morning light.

Longshot wanted to scream at the injustice of it. They had been a team, a family, and her absence hurt like a knife in his chest. The throb that began as a stinging pain in his heart quickly grew, awakening something dark within him, vengeance. It wasn't fair. They had all come from broken homes and destroyed lives and had found safety and purpose in this new life together in the forest. To lose one of their number to the very threat they fought against was frightening and tore at the security he thought they had established. Apparently, he had taken that security for granted and would have to fight harder to maintain their safety, their family. Longshot mused darkly that these were the same men who had taken Kaiya as he took aim at the oblivious soldiers; images of violence clouding his thoughts.

Suddenly, a rustle in the bushes drew his attention. A boy, no older than Jet, pushed ignorantly into the camp. He was followed by...

Longshot's heart leapt in his chest as _she_ emerged. Immediately, he was transported to that day two years ago when he watched another blue clad figure emerge from the brush below. A thousand thanks sprang to his lips before his mind caught up with his eyes. The dark hair and tan skin, the blue robe and cerulean eyes, no, that was wrong, Kaiya's eyes were gold. While Longshot was frozen in shock, the bush behind the girl erupted in flames. The girl responded with a tendril of water. Flicking her wrist, she used the ribbon of liquid to extinguish the flames that had ignited the boy's sleeve. Longshot almost missed Jet's signal as he gaped at the girl and had to flip backwards on the branch and shoot two arrows at once to compensate for his distraction.

The battle was over in a few short moments. The Freedom Fighters quickly went about the duties of checking weapons and taking inventory of what they could salvage from the enemy camp. Longshot's eye were continually drawn back to the girl. The differences in her appearance and Kaiya's was obvious, her eyes were larger, cheeks fuller, and she had an innocence about her that Kaiya did not. However, these differences did nothing to stop the jolt he felt each time he caught sight of her.

As they made their way back to the hideout, Smellerbee fell into step beside him. After several silent moments, she caught his hand causing him to look up from the ground. Her eyes spoke of the same emptiness he was feeling and he realized he was not the only one mourning the loss of a friend.

* * *

Darkness receded from Kaiya's mind as she awoke from a deep, dreamless sleep. Sensation returned to her limbs and with it, a deep bothersome throb radiated from her right side. Her memories of the previous day, _or had it been days_, were partial and confused; an obscure haze in the corner of her mind. She blinked her eyes open. A low metal ceiling confronted her vision first; dim flickering light dancing across its reflective surface. Instinctively, she turned her head towards the glow. She shut her eyes tight against the sudden pain that tore across her neck. She could not stifle the weak cry that escaped her lips. 

"Ah, you're awake. Good."

Kaiya forced her eyes open despite the lingering pain. The man who had spoken stepped into view. He was tall with black hair pulled into a traditional topknot. His eyes were soft, fatherly, like his voice.

"My name is Shin. I am the doctor on this ship and I will be seeing to your recovery. Don't worry, my knowledge of burn treatment is quite..."

Kaiya's mind drifted as the man, Shin, continued to ramble. She tried to piece together the dim shadows of memory. Most of what she could recall had been terribly distorted by blinding pain. She remembered the fight with Jet and the fire blast, but after that, everything was patchy. The tree, the ropes, the pain: they were like a dream, a mist. The more she tried to focus, to grasp at the images, the less clear they became, like a fog yielding to the powerful gaze of a bright morning sun. One thing was clear and did not flee when she wrapped her mind around the memory of it. The boy who came back, or his voice really, for she didn't have a face to attach to the low gentle sound. _"I'm back. We are going to help you."_

"...minimize scarring and maintain your range of motion—"

"Where am I?" she interrupted, her voice sounded pathetically weak. She coughed to clear her throat but this caused the muscles across her chest to tighten painfully and left her gasping for air.

"Shhh." Shin quickly reached for some water, He gently supporting her head as he held the cup to her lips. "You are onboard Prince Zuko's ship. It's been nearly two days since he found you." He released her slowly once she had emptied the cup and began checking her bandages. "We almost lost you yesterday," he continued. "And for that I am sorry. I should not have attempted to treat you as Water Tribe without knowing for sure." Kaiya's eyes widened fearfully, but Shin failed to notice as he had just turned his attention to the still uncovered burn on her shoulder. "Oh, you have cracked your scab open again. You need to be careful of that until we begin treatment of that burn which as long as you do well today, will begin this evening." He dabbed a strong smelling ointment against her neck.

The medicine did not sting, but the pressure on her skin was rather uncomfortable. Kaiya found it difficult to remain still and calm in such foreign surroundings. A vague panic began to pull at her mind, encouraged by the ever-increasing number of questions that flooded her thoughts.

"You still have a significantly high temperature, even for one of Fire Nation descent. Could still be fever though? Yes, it would have to be. Only firebenders maintain core temperatures that high." The girl flinched. "I apologize. That's going to be tender for a while," he said misunderstanding her reaction. "Look at me, talking your ear off. You must be starving. I'll be right back."

Kaiya heard the heavy clang of the metal door as it shut. Her thoughts were running frantic circles and the panic that had been nagging at her composure surged forward and every horror story she ever heard told about the Fire Nation sprung to mind. _I'm dead if they find out what I am. _

Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up using her left arm while trying to keep her right side as still as possible. As the thin cover fell away, she felt a measure of embarrassment at the way she was dressed. Unfamiliar white cloths encircled her chest and matching bandages wrapped tightly around her wrists. Her eyes paused at the sight of the vivid scarlet burns that peeked from under the fabric and trailed up her arms before her rapidly mounting anxiety tore her attention away.

Pushing the blanket off her bare legs, she noticed some clothes folded neatly at the foot of the low metal cot. Moving slowly, carefully, she swung her legs to the side and reached for the garments. There was a soft ivory tunic and some dark linen pants. Her mind continued to race as she awkwardly pulled on the pants. They were loose and hung several inches past her knees. She fumbled with the drawstring for a moment before turning to the shirt. Kaiya stared at it as if it were a wild animal. The impossibility of getting the tunic over her immobile shoulder seeming to mock her. As she stood there contemplating the garment with increasing unease, her mind continued to invent terrifying images. _They're Fire Nation. They'll kill me, chain me in some prison, or throw me to a Unagi. No wait, that's on Kyoshi. Well, I'm sure they have some kind of Fire Nation creature they'd throw me to. Some venomous, fire-breathing, bad tempered..._

At that moment, the door swung open, banging loudly off the wall, and in walked someone who looked every bit as frightening as the creature her imagination had just conjured.

**

* * *

Author's Notes**

Whew! That chapter was hard. I've been banging my head on my desk for days trying to get it the flow right. Please tell me I got it. Or if I didn't, tell me that too, though I think I might cry if that is the case.

_falls asleep at desk, probably drooling on keyboard_

Oh, and some of you have been asking when Zuko and Kaiya will talk. Next chapter, I promise. And more good news, I've already got 1300 words of that scene complete. Looks like it will be another two-update weekend.


	10. Abandoned

******Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. - Helen Keller **

******Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

******Chapter 10 - Abandoned**

When Zuko entered the infirmary, he expected to see the girl still lying helpless on the bed, but this was not the case. She was standing, facing the cot, one of the soldier's old tunics in her hand. There were wide strips of cloth wrapped around her chest and a pair of loose brown pants hung from her hips. She turned at the sound of the metal door and stared at him wide-eyed. She stood frozen for a moment before jumping back as if she had seen a monster. Zuko scowled. He was used to this type of reaction, but usually only young children looked upon his face with such fear. Immediately the girl's expression changed into one of considerable pain, her hand reaching for her neck.

Shin chose this moment to step out from behind Zuko. "Look who I ran into—what are you doing? Sit down, sit down," Shin chastised, seeing Kaiya half bent over, her face twisted into a grimace. He dropped the tray he was carrying on a nearby shelf and led her back to the cot. "As I was saying," he continued once she was settled, "this is Prince Zuko. He is the one who rescued you. You were quite a mess when he..."

Kaiya heard nothing Shin said after he identified her rescuer. She looked at Zuko in surprise. The man who had startled her so was actually a boy, though an exceptionally fierce and aggressive looking boy. His head was shaven except for a small section at his crown, which was tied into a long ponytail and large scar dominated his visage, but it was his eyes that stood out most to Kaiya. For the first time in her life molten yellow eyes locked onto her own and that feature scared her more than anything else she had seen. Kaiya stared at Zuko and he stared right back at her. Finally, Kaiya looked away, focusing instead on a small rivet in the wall, having lost the silent battle for dominance.

Zuko's frown deepened. "What's your name?" His voice was harsh and commanding, almost unrecognizable from the gentle tenor in her memory.

"Kaiya," she said, an edge of defiance laced her quiet answer.

"Prince Zuko, I must ask that the questioning wait until she has eaten," said Shin, unaware that he had long since lost the attention of his audience.

Zuko nodded and the medic brought forth a steaming bowl of rice.

"Here, you need to eat to regain your strength." Shin said, as he lifted the chopsticks, laden with a clump of the white kernels to Kaiya's mouth. "What?"

Even Zuko, who had moved to stand near Shin's desk, understood the girl's answering glare.

"Very well," Shin said slowly. He placed the chopsticks back into the bowl and held it out to her.

Kaiya reached for it with her right hand, but drew back, scowling against a sudden pain. She tried again with her left hand and took the bowl from Shin. Shifting slightly, apparently to test how much she could move without an accompanying complaint from her neck or shoulder, she scooted back on the cot and crossed her feet in front of her. She sat the bowl in her lap and using her left hand, began to fumble with the chopsticks. She huffed a few times before she was able to maneuver the food to her mouth, very aware of the eyes upon her. The smothering silence was only broken by her own clumsy attempts to feed herself.

Zuko watched the girl closely as if she were an enigma, some puzzle to which he did not know the solution. The burns on her forearms were striking, flashing in and out of view as her hand moved from the bowl to her mouth. The burn across her shoulder looked, if anything, worse than it had before. A crusted scab stretched taut from her jaw line to halfway down her bicep. The only part of the girl that looked any better was the bruise on her jaw, which had faded to a mottled shadow.

When Kaiya finished, she sat the chopsticks in the now empty bowl and remained motionless for several moments, waiting. Shin took this as his cue to leave. "I'll just return these to the kitchen," he said, relieved for the escape from the now oppressive atmosphere.

The following silence grating on Kaiya's nerves and not willing to be the first to speak, she looked down at her hands. Catching sight of the edge of the vivid burns on her arms, she lifted her hand from her lap. The burns were darkest, almost a maroon, where the bandages covered her wrists. From there they flared up her arms in vicious shades of red. She knew these burns were nothing compared to the one that covered her shoulder, but could not bend her neck enough to see the extent of the damage. Without thinking, she reached over with her left hand and carefully traced the outline of the scar. Starting at her jaw, she trailed her fingers across the ragged edge down to her collarbone, down further to the edge of her chest wrap, and across to her arm. The burn continued in a jagged descent down her bicep, then curved around to the back of her arm. The scar then grazed across her shoulder blade before sloping back up to her neck. Somewhere in her self-examination, she had closed her eyes. A single tear slipped down her cheek as an intense feeling of sorrow and isolation came over her, having less to do with her injury than the awful emptiness that seared deep within her chest.

Zuko was appalled that she would inspect her wounds with him still in the room, but as she continued, it became clear that she was so absorbed in her self-examination that she had shut out the room around her. He watched, completely captivated, as the girl's fingers moved across her shoulder and he had to resist the urge to lift a hand to his own scar. When she dropped her hand back into her lap, he realized he had been holding his breath and released it slowly. Then something inside of him constricted when a tear rolled down her face and the anger that drove him to help her rekindled as his fists clenched involuntarily. "Who did this to you?"

The girl, Kaiya, opened her eyes, looked right at him for a moment, and then, seeming to remember where she was, cast her eyes to the floor. "I don't know who they were," she said, sorting through the images of the fight. "I only saw two—no, three of them; an archer, a man with a large black beard, and one man covered in armor. There was at least one more." After a pause, she inclined her head slightly toward her right shoulder and added, "...a firebender."

"How long were you tied there?"

_The tree, the ropes, the fight._ "It was five days past the new moon, just after dark, that I was burned. I passed out after that."

"You were on that tree for eighteen hours?" he said, the question almost a statement.

Kaiya looked up at him, her expression haunted and distant. _I was there for eighteen hours and no one found me. They should have been all over those trees. No one..._

"Why did they attack you?"

Her eyes shone with tears at that question.

_Because I am— no, I was part of a rebel group who terrorized Fire Nation soldiers and they wanted our leader_. "I stole from them."

Zuko eyed her suspiciously but decided to let her answer stand. "Why were you alone?"

_I—I wasn't._

Her breath abruptly quickened and fresh tears fell uninhibited. Her misery was clearly revealed in the lines upon her brow and the quiver of her chin. She gracelessly turned on the cot and lay down with her back facing the prince. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she buried her face into her undamaged shoulder as if to hide her sudden grief.

Zuko should have been angry and insulted. She had turned her back on him, refusing to answer his question. She was on his ship, receiving care from his doctor, eating from his kitchen, heck, those were probably his clothes she was wearing, but he was finding it increasingly difficult to remain objective about this girl. Something about the way he had found her, or how he had twice seen her moments from death, or it could be because of the terrible scar he knew she would carry.

He watched her for another minute. Her back continued to shake with muted sobs. Getting up to leave, he met Shin at the doorway. Zuko pushed the man back as he shut the door behind him.

"Leave her alone for awhile," was all he said to the confused medic.

* * *

Longshot pulled himself atop the mammoth branch of the gnarled, old tree. This would be the perfect spot. The limb was wide enough to stand on and he had an unobstructed view of the dam. He could see Sneers and several others stacking the red barrels at its base. He pulled an arrow out of his quiver and began to wrap the end with a scrap of cloth and using his teeth, secured the knot. From his pocket, he retrieved a small container of oil. Uncorking the tiny vial, he poured the oil over the cloth until it was saturated. Looking up, he realized the group at the dam had finished and they were climbing the face of the apposing side. It was almost time. 

His hands began to shake as he pulled out the flint. Bothersome questions entered his mind and he started to second-guess what he had prepared himself to do. Many people would die if he went through with this, but the valley would be free of the Fire Nation and the Freedom Fighters could then go after Kaiya. But was destroying a village by water any different, any better than destroying one by fire? The slight rumble of a growl escaped his throat.

As he struggled with his decision, he could not help but think back to the times he had spent with Kaiya. He thought of her warm smile, the one that she shared with him so easily. He remembered the way she would take his hand to show him something, but would hold on long after the guidance was necessary. She would tease and play, carry on as if they were normal kids, living normal lives. He knew it wasn't that she was trying to pretend things were okay, that things were different. He had caught her countless times staring at nothing, a look of frozen terror upon her face. They all got that look at one time or another; they each had their own horrors to face. The pain was real and unavoidable, an ever-present shadow at the edge of their thoughts. However, when spotted, Kaiya would immediately push away whatever was troubling her and take pleasure in her newfound family. She always wanted to be there for the other children. That was who she was—w_ho she IS_, Longshot corrected himself. She had found a home with him and the others and clung to it with nothing less than a death grip.

The ready call tore through his thoughts and he hastened to ignite the fabric. It took him several tries before the spark landed and the oil caught fire. Moving on impulse, he stood and drew the bow into position just as Jet's answering call echoed across the valley.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as unbidden images flashed through his mind. Each excruciating second passed as slowly as a year and he heard nothing apart from the thunderous beat of his own hammering heart.

Thump, thump.

He pictured his family, the one he had long ago; his mother washing clothes in the stream near their tiny hut, his father returning with the evening's meal slung over his shoulders, but that peaceful image was quickly replaced by one of a village, decimated, wholly consumed by fire. A plume of smoke rising from the ashes like a deathly summon to unfortunate survivors.

Thump, thump.

He pictured Kaiya, happy and laughing as the younger boys threw tiny firecrackers at each other's feet causing them to jump around in the most peculiar of dances. This image also changed. He saw Kaiya alone, chained in some horrible prison, at the mercy of the nation that had already taken from them so much. He felt anger of an intensity that he had never known.

Thump, thump.

He set his jaw; his decision made.

_For Kaiya._

The flaming arrow lit a gracefully arc as it sliced through the morning sky, precise upon its deadly path until it struck true its target. The explosion that followed violently rent through the air and rang loudly in his ears. Time resumed and sound returned as the deafening roar of angry waters announced the demise of the small Fire Nation colony.

Longshot slipped down off the giant bough, landing lightly on the leaf-strewn ground. Instead of making his way back to the hideout, he turned and walked despondently into the forest, a deep frown upon his face. He had expected to feel a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction at having completed his task, but instead, he just felt cold and numb. He had protected his family despite the cost; he had forced aside his own reservations to accomplish what had been required of him. He should have felt like a hero.

So why did he feel like a monster?

**Author's Note**

Yay! Two updates in as many days and over 2300 words! Come on, tell me you love me.


	11. Ability

******Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, but if I did, I would worship myself because of my amazing creativity, outstanding originality, extraordinary talent, superb style, and astonishing brilliance. But I don't, so I won't.

_goes to perfect DiMartino/Konietsko shrine_

******Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. - Hellen Keller**

******Chapter 11 – ****Ability**

The sea churned with tumultuous foam-covered waves, beating an irregular rhythm upon the hull of the modest Fire Navy vessel. Prince Zuko stood at the bow, facing the endless expanse of sky and ocean. Ominous slate gray clouds blanketed the shifting and shadowed blue water below. For all his staring, he did not perceive the mighty, rushing power in the ocean before him; his focus held within by even more turbulent thoughts.

The scowl upon his face deepened as he lifted his hands to press at his temples against the mounting tension. There had been no further sightings of the Avatar since that disastrous incident with the pirates. He knew that the boy was heading north, making for the Northern Water Tribe, in search of a waterbending master. Zuko's only option was to follow the ragged, uneven coastline of the Earth Kingdom; or what had been Earth Kingdom, it was mostly neutral port towns and Fire Nation colonies now.

They needed to restock the ship's stores and other supplies soon in order to keep pace with the stupid beast on which the Avatar and his friends traveled, but the seaport they just left had been utterly depleted. Reports stated that there had been an attack upon a Fire Nation colony a few miles upriver. A sabotaged dam and the resulting flood forced its occupants to take refuge in the grossly inadequate port town. The next harbor was a good three days to the north, and that was if the weather cooperated which, by the look of the rolling clouds and the rising winds, did not appear to be in their favor.

On top of all this another problem loomed—what to do with the girl. She must have a home of some kind...somewhere, and the further away they traveled, the further she would have to go to return. If the reception she gave him earlier was any indication, she would not be content staying onboard any longer than she had to. They would have left her in port, under the care of a local physician, but with the influx of displaced citizens, there was no place for her; every bed in every room was already filled.

As if he didn't have enough trouble chasing some infuriatingly elusive child from one edge of the map to another, he really didn't need to add some nameless peasant's problems to the list. In spite of all this, part of him was glad that she couldn't leave, just yet. There was so much about her that was a mystery and the questioning earlier had accomplished far less than he had intended. Who was she really and how did she get into such a terrible situation? Was there any connection between the attack on her and the one on the colony? And the fire last night, the powerful draw that had been exerted upon his bending, what was that?

His head gave a particularly painful throb, forcing him to abandon that track of questions. There was only one way to unravel this mystery and the answers lay within a girl whose helpless and broken form he couldn't get out of his head.

"That was a very noble thing you did in helping her," his uncle said, disrupting Zuko's thoughts, "but the girl does not belong on this ship. At the next port, they will be able to care for her."

"Uncle, no one is better equipped to deal with such wounds than Shin." _They can't provide the care she'll need._ Zuko added to himself. He couldn't explain why he felt so responsible for her recovery, but this was one instance in which he wasn't willing to question his motives.

"In three days, Shin will have completed the worst of the _treatments_—" Zuko and Iroh had adopted this cryptic description of the torturous after-burn care that they were much too familiar with, Zuko personally, "—and then she'll only require therapy as her scar matures. The local doctors will provide sufficient care."

Zuko merely nodded, the gesture of agreement placating the older man.

* * *

Kaiya pushed herself upright, which was a bit easier now that she knew how not to move her shoulder and how to hold her neck to prevent upsetting her burn. Reaching for the blanket that lay bunched near her feet, she used it to dry her eyes. She felt a measure of embarrassment now for having exposed her emotions to strangers, but it had just been too much for her to handle. She exhaled slowly, blowing away the feelings of abandonment and loneliness that had brought about her breakdown, embracing instead the comfort of anger and callous indifference. _I can deal with this. I have before. I was stupid to trust again, to trust Jet; stupid to think I'd found a home. _Her hands curled into fists and her golden eyes flashed with determination. _I won't do it again. I don't need anyone. I have to be strong. And I have to get out of here...soon. _

A sharp rap at the door roused Kaiya from her dark thoughts.

* * *

Shin waited as long as he could before returning to the infirmary, not easily forgetting the prince's warning, but one of the men had approached him with a goose-rat egg shaped lump on his head and no explanation of how it got there. Fearing a concussion might have brought about the man's lapse in memory, he promptly escorted the young soldier below deck. 

"Wait here," he said slowly to the man when they reached the door, who by his glazed and vacant expression was still quite dazed. The man appeared to understand so Shin turned back to the door and knocked before entering the darkened room. "Kaiya?" he said.

"Yes."

She was sitting up again, leaning with her back to the wall. "How are you doing?" he asked cautiously, not completely sure of the reason Zuko wanted her left alone, but the redness that rimmed her eyes gave him a clue.

"Fine," she said sharply.

"That's good. Uh, I've got another patient who I need to bring in here."

She just stared at him.

"Right. You might want to..." he motioned toward the blanket, but all he received was a glare. Deciding it really didn't matter, Shin left the issue alone. The disoriented soldier wasn't likely to notice there _was_ another person in the room, much less the way they were dressed. "Officer Ryou, you can come in now," he spoke to the empty doorway, not realizing that the soldier had wandered off.

Once Shin realized his mistake, he hastily took off after his wayward charge. After several minutes searching the maze of hallways, he returned, rather flustered, with his patient in tow.

* * *

The girl had remained silent all while he examined Ryou, who now lay sleeping on the only cot left unoccupied, but the scowl never left her face and he could feel her glare burning at his back. 

"How soon can I leave?" she blurted out as soon as he turned away from the young man.

"Uh...well," he stammered but was saved by a knock at the door.

A second later, Iroh entered the infirmary. "I heard about Officer Ryou. Apparently, the storm that is brewing caused some cargo to shift. Lieutenant Jee said he saw Ryou leave the deck after being knocked down. How's he doing?"

"Well, it is a concussion, a mild one. He'll return to the barracks this evening though he'll probably require several day's rest before returning to his duties."

Satisfied Iroh turned to the girl. "And how are you, miss?"

"I've been better."

Iroh laughed aloud; a full, hearty sound that reminded Kaiya of Pipsqueak with his deep, full-body guffaws. "Yes, I suppose you have. Did you get enough to eat?"

She nodded distractedly, still thinking of her friends.

"My nephew said he spoke to you earlier. Your name is Kaiya; am I pronouncing that right?"

"Mhmm."

"Do you mind answering a few questions for me?"

She regarded the old man warily. His voice was gentle, cordial and kind, but Kaiya felt a current of authority and power emanate from him. Like the ocean on a calm day; though it may appear tranquil and safe, dangerous currents could lie just below the surface.

"How old are you?"

She was surprised that he would ask such a trivial question, but held to her guarded demeanor, sure the questions would not remain so. "I turned fifteen just before the winter solstice."

"Which of your parents was Fire Nation?"

She visibly stiffened even though she had been expecting something along this line. "I never knew my parents," she responded, her voice devoid of emotion.

"So you are an orphan? Are you from one of the Fire Nation colonies?"

"No."

"Where is your home?"

"I have no home."

Iroh remained silent for several minutes, waiting expectantly for Kaiya to continue. He knew she was uncomfortable with these questions, but he also knew, better than his nephew did, when to push for answers and when to wait. After all, you don't break through the walls of Ba Sing Se without a little patience.

Finally she broke. "I was exiled from the Southern Water Tribe when I was twelve, I lived in an Earth Kingdom orphanage for a few months, and I've spent the last two years living in the forests." This all spilled forth in a rush of words, her tone now angry and frustrated.

"I find it hard to believe that a young girl would survive that long in the wild on her own," he prompted.

She turned away from his gaze and Iroh knew that no amount of patience would get her to reveal more on this subject, but now he was beginning to understand. "Where do you plan to go after you leave here? You said you have no home, so it does not matter in which port we leave you, am I right?"

"I want to leave as soon as possible."

Iroh regarded the girl with a frown. Her demeanor had changed, reminding him forcibly of a cornered animal, ready to lash out, a feral desperation lit her eyes. He chose to push her a little further. "I see. And where will you go?"

In truth, she hadn't thought that far ahead. To get off this ship and away from anyone who knew the truth about her was all she wanted at this point. Her survival hinged upon keeping her bending ability a secret. She knew firsthand the prejudice the Water Tribe held over her heritage and the bigotry she'd faced in the Earth Kingdom had not been any better. "It doesn't matter," she said quietly.

After several moments of silence, Iroh stood. "It's been a pleasure talking with you, Kaiya. In a few days, we will be reaching Port Suong and you will be free to leave. Until then Shin will continue treatment of your injuries. Feel free to request anything you require." Then he turned to the doctor, "I would like a report on Officer Ryou's condition in the morning." With that he bowed to both Kaiya and Shin and walked out, leaving an uncomfortable silence in his place.

"Well," Shin began. He cleared his throat loudly before continuing a strained cheerful tone, "let's check those bandages, shall we?"

Kaiya frowned at him, the burning glare settling back into her eyes, before crossing her arms in defiance, the gesture of rebelliousness she was glad she could still perform.

* * *

Longshot walked aimlessly, heedlessly past trees and bushes; the rooms and walls of his forest home. An uncommon heaviness bore down upon his heart. He knew now, with painful certainty, that he had done something very wrong. Despair and guilt fought for dominance in his mind as he stumbled forward unseeing on a path long since memorized. 

Abruptly his awareness peaked as he moved from a familiar setting into one changed and decidedly alien. His gaze focused upon the trees and leaves and brush surrounding him. Vicious trails of fire-blackened foliage marred the green landscape. His hunter's eye fell upon the remains of a battle that littered the forest floor. A flash of color caught his eye and caused his breath to catch. He forced his suddenly unresponsive limbs to carry him to the small bundle of cloth. He knelt down and with a shaking hand, picked up the ruined fabric; its blue color now streaked with dark red and black. He looked round again. Confusion fled as the story of a terrible scene was laid out before him and he knew without a doubt that he had stumbled upon the place of Kaiya's capture.

It is worse, sometimes, to not know; to not be able to grieve and let go, to have your mind never cease inventing more and more disturbing images of those you've lost, those you've loved. As Longshot faced the atrocious scene before him, he knew that this was not one of those times. He'd never imagined that such violence had been used against her. After all, Jet had escaped the ordeal with only a few bruises. _Jet,_ he thought darkly. Longshot knew he was keeping something from them before, but he had not questioned his leader. As he rose to leave, the wad of material clutched in his hand, he resolved to find out what Jet was hiding.

**

* * *

Author's Notes**

_crawls out from under desk, waving a white flag_

I'm really, really sorry. I know, it's been forever since I updated. I have no excuse. I was being lazy. I swear, I won't abandon this story. I haven't lost my inspiration, I just needed a break. I'm back now, ready to get this story flowing again. As I peace offering, I'll send a 300 word sneak peek of the next chapter to anyone whose kind enough to review after my nearly four week hiatus.

Also, this chapter is dedicated to Maxwell's Daemon. You'll see I used a quote from one of your reviews. Actually, it was "Quick, Uncle, let's save this nameless peasant girl!" Looking back at that chapter, I can't help but laugh at myself for not seeing that before.


	12. Affliction

******Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, but I am the keeper of Zuko's defiant breath on the ASN forums. My sister's keeper of his handstand in The Beach. I'm so jealous.

**It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a great desire forever beating at the door of our hearts as we travel toward our distant goal. - Helen Keller**

******Chapter 12 – ****Affliction**

Zuko startled to the sharp sound of piercing screams reverberating off the metal walls of the ship. He had no doubt that the shrill echoes belonged to the only female aboard. He was sure that none of the men on his ship would have been capable of producing such a sound. Moments later, he slammed open the door to the infirmary. The scene he interrupted was almost comical. Shin, holding a small cloth in one hand, had his arms raised in self-defense. Debris covered the floor around the corner in which Shin was backed into. Kaiya was standing on the cot, holding—well, he wasn't sure what she was holding—but it was clear she intended to use it as a projectile against the unfortunate doctor.

"What is going on here?!" Zuko's yell directed at the cowering man.

"He was trying to peel my skin off!" Kaiya shrieked without taking her flashing eyes off her target, her face flushed with a mixture of panic and self-preservation induced adrenalin.

"I began the treatment, like I told you before, and she... became violent," Shin said with as much dignity and professionalism as he could muster from his corner, with clothing disheveled and hair standing on end.

Zuko had to restrain himself from breathing fire as he exhaled, a low growl escaped his lips instead. Shin was an excellent doctor, knowledgeable and efficient, but there was a reason the man's duties confined him to the ship. The man could not handle confrontation.

"Get out."

"But Prince Zuko, the treatment cannot be delayed any further. The scar will restrict movement if I don't—"

"I know," he said, the commanding tone of voice effectively silencing the doctor. "I'll take care of it." Zuko waited until Shin closed the door behind him before he turned back to the girl still perched atop the bed, though she had lowered herself into a half-kneel, the hand that held the would-be weapon had fallen inoffensively to her side. "You will not conduct yourself like this on my ship," he said without emotion. "It is only by my mercy that you are receiving this care."

"Care? He—"

"Silence!" he shouted, taking a threatening step forward.

Kaiya flinched noticeably at his outburst. Zuko waited for compliance before continuing. "You will yield to whatever treatments Shin deems necessary and," he said motioning to the wreckage behind him, "you will clean this up." Before she could open her mouth to protest, he continued, "Or I will leave you at port where you'd be lucky to find a place to sleep." The threat in his voice was perfectly clear.

She opened her mouth to retort but then closed it. A deep frown settled across her face, the harsh lines of a scowl stripping away innocence and youthfulness like a harsh summer sun. Finally, her face relaxed and gaze fell submissively to the floor and she conceded to his ultimatum with a nod, the tight line of her mouth signaling that she would pose no further argument.

"Well?" he prompted.

She mumbled something unintelligible, her eyes never lifting from her downcast stare.

"What?"

A slight pause and then, "Yes, Prince Zuko."

"Good, now lie down."

Her head shot up at that, but Zuko had turned to retrieve the rough cloth Shin had discarded and the bowl of water that had surprisingly survived the assault inflicted upon the rest of the room. When Zuko turned back to Kaiya, she had lowered herself to the cot, but was still sitting up, facing him, her golden eyes wide in question.

A low growl of annoyance escaped his throat. "Shin explained this treatment to you?"

Kaiya shocked Zuko by looking away guiltily, a slight blush spreading across her face, "He might have," she said haltingly.

"He might have?"

"Um, I didn't hear _everything_ he said. I kinda stopped listening when he began talking about training his pet gila-toad."

That tension headache Zuko had felt on the deck was returning now full force. "Well, now would be a good time to start listening. The scabs over your burns have to be removed—"

"Wait, what!" she interrupted. "That's barbaric!"

"If they're not removed," he continued impatiently, "the scar that forms will be too tight. You will be unable to extend your arm anymore than you can now."

"How do you know?" she asked stubbornly.

"..."

"Oh." Embarrassed by her own question, Kaiya rolled obediently onto her back and stared awkwardly at the ceiling.

She tensed when Zuko lifted her hand and when the rough cloth brushed against her burn, she jerked her arm away.

"OW!" she cried out, clutching her arm protectively to her chest.

"Be quiet," he hissed, roughly taking her hand back. "This has to be done for you to heal correctly."

She clenched her jaw and sent him a freezing glare.

Easily ignoring this, he set to work scrubbing away the blackened skin and crust from the wound that marred her wrist and forearm. With each swipe of the cloth, more raw, red skin was revealed. Surprisingly, throughout this process, Kaiya remained silent. Her eyes stayed tight shut and the hand that was held in Zuko's returned his grip with crushing force; whether for comfort or retaliation, he didn't know.

By the time he finished, Kaiya was trembling uncontrollably and path of her tears left red streaks across her face. He applied an ointment to the burn and wrapped the tender scar in gauze before moving to her other side.

"Please stop." Her voice sounded defeated, weak and breathless with exhaustion.

"I can't. I already told you..."

"Just for a minute," she added desperately. "Please."

So he waited. When her trembling had ceased and her breathing steadied, he lifted her other hand. "I'm going to start on this arm now. Try to stay still and quiet."

She nodded, but had to bite back a scream as the torture began anew. Her eyes locked onto his for a moment before he turned his attention back to the burn. After working on her wrist for several minutes, he looked back at her. She was biting her lip against the pain and tiny beads of dark red blood had started to form from the abuse.

"Stop that," he said, dropping her arm angrily, "I'm trying to help you."

"You're hurting me," she answered, her voice as acidic as his.

"I can't help that."

Now frustrated with her, he quickly finished the treatment on that arm and hastily wrapped her wrist. Without pause, he moved to the wound on her shoulder. Beginning at the burns that spread across her bicep, he cleared the burn of scab and crust. No longer trying to be slow and gentle, he rushed to complete the task. Up and over her shoulder, the cloth left her sensitive skin gleaming a garish crimson.

When he reached the junction of her neck, she began to squirm. Her legs shifted and strained, heels pressing into the surface of the cot. Her reactions had become so transparent that Zuko could almost feel her pain building. Trying not to notice the way her breathing was now ragged and forced, he continued with slightly less fervor.

As he slowed down, he noticed the light in the room dim. Looking up, he focused upon the room's lanterns. The flames held within were behaving erratically, flickering low and then flaring brightly before waning once more. He ceased his ministrations to watch the flickering and jumping which continued for a moment before becoming still. The candles burned regularly as if they had never been disturbed. His gaze shifted from the lantern to the girl and back.

Keeping his eyes on the now steady flames, he drew the cloth across her neck.

"Stop!" she shrieked, forcing his attention back on her. Tears flowed freely from her fiery eyes as she stared at him with intense desperation."...stop," her voice now broken and pleading.

Zuko stepped away from her and out into the corridor, his mind racing. He remembered the unnaturally powerful drain those very lanterns had exerted on him the day before.

_She couldn't be, could she?_

* * *

The sun was low in the sky by the time Longshot made it back to the hideout. He brushed determinedly past several of his fellow Freedom Fighters who stood gathered around the entrance to Jet's hut. He failed to notice that they all seemed to share his grave demeanor; that the customary triumphant raucous was absent and in its place forlorn and unnatural silence had fallen. 

Jet sat shivering, hair still damp, with a blanket draped across his shoulders; an unhealthy pallor had replaced his usual ruddy complexion. He started when Longshot abruptly entered the room and jumped back with a yell of indignation when a wad of filthy material landed in his lap, but his anger faltered when he caught the intensity of the other boy's glare.

Slowly, Jet picked up the cloth and held it at arm's length. "What's this?" he said with his usual arrogance, but as the cloth fell open his eyes widened in shock, comprehension settling in his mind; the shape and color of Kaiya's tunic clearly recognizable despite the damage. Jet was on his feet in an instant.

"Where'd you get that?" he shouted as he advanced aggressively.

But no answers would be found in Longshot's gaze, only blatant suspicion.

"What do you want me to say? I don't know how this happened!" he said, thrusting the shirt at Longshot in emphasis. Then Jet saw a conflicting emotion suddenly exposed in the younger boy's eyes, one he'd never seen there before. Jet followed Longshot's unshielded gaze to the singed and bloodstained material.

"Oh, I get it," Jet said, the sneer in his voice matching the one on his face. "Makes perfect sense."

Longshot's expression turned dark, menacing, but the increased hostility did not phase Jet, nor did it temper his response.

"You might want to rethink your loyalties. She's not who you think she is. She betrayed us."

In a flash of movement, Longshot had Jet by the throat, shoved against the wall, the challenge in his eyes unmasked and dangerous.

"Get off me!" Jet yelled, pushing back. "Fine! You want to know the real reason why she didn't come back that night?"

Longshot stepped back.

Jet took his time, rolling his shoulders as he pushed away from the wall and making it perfectly clear that an unspoken boundary had been crossed and another such attack would be met with like violence. "While Kaiya and I were out on our little walk—oh, and by the way, the next time a girl wants to lead you somewhere, you might want to hold on a little tighter. But anyway, we were attacked. They knocked me out and when I came to, she was bending, firebending." He said the last word slowly, the hatred saturating his voice. "Your little girlfriend was one of them all along. No wonder she—"

Jet didn't get to finish his sentence before Longshot's fist connected with his jaw, knocking him to the ground. By the time his vision cleared, Longshot was gone, the cloth at the door swinging in his wake.

Jet rubbed his jaw as he picked himself up. He was about to go after Longshot, but realized Kaiya's shirt was still in his hand. His anger quickly receded and his hard expression shifted to one of uncertainty. He thought back to that night.

_She was fine when I left,, a little beat up from the fight, but nothing serious._

Looking at the ruined garment, he turned away from the door and sat back down.

* * *

"Uncle, while I was treating Kaiya's burns, the flames seemed to react. I don't think it was me." 

Iroh followed Zuko back to the room. Kaiya appeared to have fallen asleep. Her face had relaxed and her breathing was slower, deeper. Zuko picked up a new cloth and nudged her side. Her eyelids flicked before she focused on the boy at her side.

"I must finish now."

Fear sparked behind her eyes and her breath quickened in anticipation of the pain. Zuko glanced at his uncle before he lowered the rough cloth to the vicious red burn that stained her neck.

As soon the treatment was over, he placed a clean dry cloth across the burn. Zuko looked up to see his uncle eyeing the girl critically. Iroh motioned for Zuko to follow him out into the hall.

"Well?"

"She's a firebender."

******

* * *

Author's Notes**

**Whew! Okay, that's going to be the worst of Kaiya's torture. I really hope I didn't go too far with that, but in my defense, I did base this off of truth. A few years back, my friend's father was burned in a terrible accident and she told me of the awful therapy that he had to endure. It was actually very close to what I wrote here. Horrible, I know.**


	13. Acceptance

******Disclaimer:** Yo no poseo Avatar: The Last Airbender. Yo no hablo español cualquiera.

**The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse. - Helen Keller**

******Chapter 13 – ****Acceptance**

Dinner was a silent affair upon Zuko's ship that evening. Both Iroh and Zuko were deep in thought. Both thinking of the same young firebender who was now sound asleep under the careful watch of Doctor Shin.

The discovery of her abilities had been explained to the wary officer, to which he replied, "Well, that explains her temper." Zuko had left the infirmary immediately afterward to attend to his other duties aboard the ship.

Iroh on the other hand, felt his time was better spent taking a quick nap, in order to clear his mind of course. After all, a man needs his rest. After several arduous hours, or relaxing depending whether your were the former or the latter, Zuko and Iroh met for dinner, as was their custom. For a while, Uncle, contemplating the girl's situation with a clear mind, was content to eat in silence or near silence, as he was quite hungry, but then his thoughts seemed to overflow into his throat.

"Her wrists..." he said, mainly to himself.

"What?" Zuko responded, looking up from his untouched plate.

"She injured her wrists trying to burn through the ropes."

The picture of Kaiya tied to the tree instantly sprung to Zuko's mind; granted it never really left, just sort of flickered and faded when his focus was strongly upon some other task. The instantly renewed image abruptly morphed into a new scene, one in which flames licked across Kaiya's arms as she tried to burn her way free. This new image was even more disturbing and he couldn't help but dwell upon how he found her and the blackened ropes that had been seared to her skin.

The horror of this revelation was evident upon his face. "But why would she do that to herself? She could have flamed through those ropes in seconds."

"Perhaps not. Her effect on the flames in the infirmary demonstrates a clear lack of control over her bending. At her age, she should be well past that." Iroh stroked his beard thoughtfully. "It supports her story though; that she's not from one of the colonies. If she had been, she would have received training as soon as her abilities surfaced. Her position puts her at risk."

"How?"

"Colonial law dictates that all foreign-born firebenders must be registered with their local authorities. They are automatically enlisted into the Navy and sent back to the Fire Nation for training."

"But you said she's not from one of the colonies."

"That doesn't matter. Regardless of her heritage, she's still a firebender. It will be assumed she's a deserter. The course of action required of us now is to turn her over to the commander over this area."

"Zhao? There's no way I'd turn her over to him!"

"That's not what I'm suggesting. I don't wish her to be imprisoned or forced into a position she doesn't want to be in, but I must know, Prince Zuko, what are _your_ plans concerning her?"

"I don't know. She was hurt. I reacted. Would you have had me respond differently?"

"Of course not, I just want to be sure that you understand that her presence here will not go undetected. She can't stay here."

"She has nowhere else to go."

"She doesn't belong here, Prince Zuko. It would be best—"

"She doesn't belong anywhere! She's a firebender; she's Fire Nation, and she deserves our help."

"But we can't help her. Staying with us puts her in immediate danger. I'm concerned for you, Prince Zuko. You don't need to develop an attachment to this girl." Zuko looked genuinely shocked at that statement, but Iroh pressed forward. "She's not a project, no matter how similar the pain you bear."

"I know that," Zuko said before turning away.

* * *

Kaiya turned toward the metallic creak of a heavy door being forced open and strained to hear the near silent footsteps approaching. The abnormally dim light hid the identity of the intruder as he moved threateningly closer. Apprehension fought curiosity, but caution won over as Kaiya found herself backing away. The stranger continued to approach, Kaiya to retreat until the wall pressed firmly against her. 

It was then that the person crossed through a patch of moonlight, his face illuminated for less than a moment, but it was enough for Kaiya to recognize the strong features. She gasped at the realization; shocked by his presence, but concern filled her at the hard expression he carried. He reached out to her, his hand rising slowly to her cheek as if to ensure she was actually there.

Without a word, though none was expected, he took her hand in his strong grip and pulled her from the wall in an awkward half-embrace. He released her quickly and turned away, still holding fast to her hand as he lead her out of the room. She stumbled along behind him in the darkness; his pace harried, almost frantic. Through countless corridors, he led her, turning this way and that, his movements confident despite the dizzying labyrinth.

Finally, they emerged onto the deck where a thick mist hung in the air, blurring the edges of her vision and filling the eerie silence with its heaviness. He continued to pull her until they faced the railing. She looked down, leaning slightly over the metal bar, but the rolling mist shrouded anything she was hoping to find. She turned back to him with questioning eyes, but his attention had shifted.

"Stay behind me, Kaiya," he said in a low voice, releasing Kaiya's hand as he sidestepped, shielding her from whatever it was that had caused him alarm.

Kaiya glanced around his shoulder. At first, she couldn't discern what had put him on guard, but then, on the far side of the deck, half-hidden by mist, two orbs of fire suddenly ignited. Briefly illuminated in the oppressive vapor, the face of this new presence was revealed. Kaiya failed to notice the harsh expression, scowling and full of hate, for she could not pull her gaze away from those eyes. They were narrowed dangerously with menace, but they also spoke of heartrending betrayal. She recognized this pain and her heart went out to him. Her feet, seeming to follow the pull of her emotions, moved her slightly forward.

"Stay behind me!" her would-be rescuer's warning repeated with barely disguised annoyance and he roughly pushed her back from his side causing her to slip and fall on the slick metal surface.

"Get your hands off her!" The interceptor screamed, deadly malice carried within the unspoken challenge. Then he looked to Kaiya, who still lay upon the ground. "Kaiya," he said, his tone at once changed, calm, yet commanding. "Come here."

She lifted slowly from the deck, looking from one boy to the other as she rose to her feet. As if sensing her indecision, the flames leapt higher within their owner's grasp. She moved instinctively away from the offending blaze.

Suddenly, the glowing spheres shot forward and before she could blink, the intense heat assaulted her skin even as the flames dispersed around her. He, her rescuer, her savior, had jumped in front of her. He took the brunt of the attack, his face turned away from the blast. The next thing she was aware of was that she was kneeling beside the brave soul who had risked himself to recover her from this metal monster's grasp. She cradled his face to her chest and whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Over and over, she repeated this desperate mantra as his hold on this world extinguished and she was left gazing into empty, unseeing eyes.

She looked up to see that the attacker had approached unnoticed, blinded as she was by her grief.

"You killed him," he said firmly, and with finality.

"No—no, I wouldn't. I'd never—" she forced past the tears that had constricted her throat.

"It's your fault. You are to blame." With that, he lit his hand once more.

She couldn't move. She was frozen, paralyzed, and couldn't do anything but scream as, with a slicing motion, he covered her in flames.

"Kaiya, Kaiya!"

She jerked, still screaming, as she wrenched away from the flames, away from the heat and smoke that assaulted her senses.

"Kaiya! Wake up!"

She gasped and blinked her eyes rapidly. Breathless and clearly disoriented, she finally focused upon the concerned face of the man at her side.

"You were having a nightmare," Shin said, removing his hand from her shoulder where he had shaken her out of her dream.

"What?" she said sitting up with Shin's help, the frightening images that seemed all too real a moment ago beginning to dissipate. As her mind cleared and she looked around, she quickly became aware that the smoke hanging in the air had not been confined to her imagination.

Shin turned his head to see where her gaze had settled. Scorch marks, corresponding with each of the room's lanterns, traveled in soot-blackened paths up the walls and splayed across the ceiling.

"Nightmares are common in burn victims," he stated offhandedly as he turned back to his patient, "as are certain explosive reactions among firebenders."

Her eyes widened in shock, but then immediately her face shut down, all emotion leaving only and empty shell. It was as if she had resigned herself to some terrible fate. "You know," she said in a voice both weary and desolate.

Exhibiting an unexpected amount of wisdom, Shin answered her implied question. "It's okay. You're safe here."

Emotion flooded back into her face, eyes lighting with incredulity. "What?" she said again stupidly, though any intelligent response far surpassed her at this moment.

"You are safe here," he repeated slowly. "Though I can't say the same for my infirmary," he said with a chuckle, immediately lightening the mood.

"Oh, uh...sorry," she said, embarrassed.

"No really, it's okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, perfectly normal. You're fine, but since you're awake now, I need to change those bandages."

"Okay," she replied and pushed herself to sitting. "Wait, I can move."

He nodded impassively as he turned to gather the bandages.

"No, I mean it doesn't hurt to move, not like it did before anyway."

She looked up at Shin, who still had his back to her.

"Shin?"

The plea in her voice caught his attention and he turned to see her golden eyes lock onto his.

"I'm sorry," she said softly before dropping her gaze to her lap. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you to take care of me. I'm sorry that I threatened you...and threw stuff at you."

When she lifted her head in the following silence, she noticed his expression was one of mute astonishment. She hurried to explain.

"It's just that I was scared and..." she paused then, unsure whether she should continue, but pressed on despite her hesitation, "and I've been hurt...a lot."

Shin's eyes softened and with a compassion not usually found in those of his profession, he moved to her side. "I understand. Just know this; no harm will come to you while you are on this ship."

Shin then busied himself with removing her bandages, replacing them with snug elastic wraps. "These pressure bandages will help protect your skin until the scar matures..." and he was back to his usual rambling.

"Can I get out of here?" she cut in when he took a breath.

"We're still two days from port."

"No, I mean out of here." She gestured to the room at large.

"A Fire Navy ship is not the place for children," he said this as it had been well rehearsed. "There are weapons, and heavy equipment, and men at work. It's best for you to stay put."

"I understand. It's just been so long since I've been outside," she said pitifully and with the tiniest of pouts on her lips, "in the fresh air...and sunshine."

* * *

Kaiya sat peacefully near the bow of the ship, her arms folded casually across her knees, head tilted back, eyes closed. Shin stood just a few steps away. As calm as Kaiya appeared with her dark hair caught in the wind and the lighted smile upon her face, Shin was equally as tense, eyes darting around the deck like a wolf bat stuck in a badger mole cave. 

He had helped her dress in a loose tunic and pants, all the while warning her what to not to touch, where not to go, and who not to talk once they reached the deck. Now that they were on deck, his anxiety increased, but she seemed to be following his advice, being still and silent. Just as he began to relax a bit, his heart rate falling to a more manageable speed, he spotted the one person on the ship he had hoped to avoid.

"Ah, Prince Zuko," he began, hoping he sounded much more confident that he felt. "Might I say what a good job you did with Kaiya's treatment last night. She's showing much improvement."

"What is she doing out here?" Zuko said irately. He had come to the deck to train, alone, without interruption, but though the sight he met was...nice, he did not welcome the distraction, nor did he want to add any fuel to his uncle's argument.

He had noticed right away that Kaiya's color had improved. Before Shin had alerted Kaiya to his presence, he had seen the way her skin glowed as she sat there with her knees pulled to her chest, feet bare. Bandages hid her burns, all but a few red streaks that ran in jagged lines up the side of her neck made visible only because she had her face tilted up toward the weak sun. The clothes she wore, while much too loose, made her look comfortable, if still much too thin.

"Fresh air and sunshine are necessary for a speedy recovery." Shin said seriously.

Kaiya coughed and turned her head away to hide the fit of giggles she was trying to suppress.

"Perhaps a bit too much fresh air," Shin said as he approached Kaiya and patted her back to help dispel the cough. "We should probably be heading back now."

"No!" she said abruptly. "I mean, no, I'm fine. I'd like to stay out here longer, if I can."

"Well, I suppose just a bit longer wouldn't hurt," he said before turning to Zuko, "besides I needed to speak with you a moment about the condition of the infirmary."

The two men moved out of hearing distance, which suited Kaiya fine. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction of her chaperone, she stood and cautiously approached the side of the deck. Looking over the edge at water, she saw the foam covered waves rushing by at a much quicker speed than she'd anticipated and her grip tightened on the suddenly insufficient railing. She lifted her gaze from the disconcerting froth to the wide-open horizon.

She had always loved the dominance the sky took as it stretched over the open ocean. Back home, before she was exiled, she would sit at the edge of the ice and lose herself gazing at the sky that went on and on, blurring in the haze at the horizon. That was something that had bothered her, living in the shade of the trees as a Freedom Fighter; rarely did you see such open sky. Limbs or mountains always boxed it in, hiding its overwhelming expanse.

Her mind continued to wander, bringing her back to the last time she had been out at sea. At twelve, she had found it immensely frightening upon the Water Tribe vessel with only empty ocean in sight. During that long journey to the Earth Kingdom, her only comfort had been the sky, the sun, and the stars that held sway over even the most turbulent of waters. It was only during storms, when the clouds blotted out the sky and the water fell in torrents, waves crashing over the modest boats, that she became truly terrified.

It was then, in these desperate moments that one of the Water Tribe men, a warrior, would come and sit by her side. He never spoke to her, as none of them did for most had sat upon the council ordering her sentence, but this man would come to her, his large hand upon her trembling back bringing comfort until the storms ceased.

It wasn't until she disembarked upon the shores of the foreign land that was her new home that she learned his name. She had turned back to watch the ships leave, on their way to support the effort against the war, when she caught him watching her. His eyes were shining and so full of sorrow that it startled her. She lifted a hand to wave a solemn farewell, but at that moment, one of the other men called his name, drawing him back to his duties.

"Daisuke," the man had said and she held onto that name, having no idea of its significance.

******

* * *

Author's Notes**

I can't really say that was writer's block that kept me from updating. It's more like writer's passivity. I was so aggressive while writing Test of Poison, and while I still love this story, I just don't have the passion to stay up all hours of the night to pump out another chapter. That said, you should probably expect my updates to remain erratic, but I promise I won't abandon this story. I just might be a little lazy about getting it finished.

Also, if you don't remember who Daisuke is, go back to the beginning of the first chapter. (It's the only one where he's mentioned.) And for those of you kind enough to comment, thank you so much. I'd really appreciate your opinion on this chapter. Do you like how Zuko's responding to Kaiya? And how about the change in Kaiya we saw here?

If you've been lurking, now would be a great time to share your reaction and/or critisism. I respond to every review I get, so here's your chance to chat with the writer.

P.S. Longest Chapter Ever! Woot! Maybe this'll help make up for my lack of updates. : )

P.S.S. I also started a C2. If you wanna check it out, there's a link on my profile. It's called For My Sisters. I made it so that we can share our favorite stories and not have to sift through pages and pages(though I still do that anyway, go figure).


	14. Assumptions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own A:TLA. or Olaf.

**Love is like a beautiful flower which I may not touch, but whose fragrance makes the garden a place of delight just the same. - Helen Keller **

******Chapter 14 – Assumptions**

Many years ago, in the not-so-distant past, the Southern Water Tribe was hailed as a thriving civilization. A multitude of prosperous, interdependent villages stretched from one edge of the frozen continent to the other, but that had not always been so. There was a time when the southernmost realm lay uninhabited.

For innumerable generations, this land repelled any who dared attempt to occupy its icy domain. However, as is the case with all such reigns, the time came when the southern tundra could no longer retain its isolated sovereignty. This happened when a small group of pilgrims, stubborn and resourceful, invaded its shores.

Despite the biting cold or the howling wind, the endless weeks of darkness or the maddening days of an unsetting sun, the powers that dominated the arctic could not dispel these new intruders. In this glacial land fraught with danger; from the volatile ice shelves, the unpredictable ice floes, and the blizzards that raged with sub-zero malevolence; the people, close descendants of the first waterbenders, carved life out of this unyielding environment.

Through intrepid perseverance, they subdued the polar demons. Not only did they survive, they flourished. In the face of such harsh conditions, these new inhabitants clung tightly to one another, developing a culture where the bonds of family and community were esteemed above all else, for they knew without these uniting bonds, they would perish.

Time passed and though the Southern Water Tribe, as it was now called, had conquered every hardship nature had thrown their way, they were unprepared for the threat that now loomed upon every horizon. The Fire Nation.

The war the firebenders waged, with its never ceasing raids and unprovoked attacks, decimated the coastal establishments as no ocean gale could. Fear spread like a poison, paralyzing the economy until the citizens of the smaller villages abandoned their homes and sought the protection in the larger communities.

By the time Kaiya was born, the population in the southernmost nation had diminished to the point that only two villages remained: Atka and Tornuaq. The vast Nutarniq Ice Shelf separated these last strongholds by a half-day's journey.

No one knew this path better than Daisuke. He would use every opportunity to travel between the two villages; delivering messages, transporting goods, whatever excuse he could find to visit Tornauq, the home of a quickly growing child.

For Kaiya's protection, he never revealed his connection to her or his knowledge of her true heritage. He never even made direct contact with her, but watched her in passing to ensure that she was safe and well. This would appease his conscience until his next journey.

During his earliest visits, he witnessed several incidents where she was judged due to the foreign look of her eyes, but nothing ever came of these accusations, for how could you hold prejudice against a cooing, defenseless babe. It also helped that the widow Daisuke had entrusted her to was a rather strong-spoken woman with a heart as soft as her convictions were hard.

Kaiya's early years passed without incident, for as far as Daisuke was aware, and he had fallen into a comfortable pattern of checking up on Kaiya every few months. This pattern was not long lived as the summer of Kaiya's eighth year marked the beginning of many changes that would impact both their lives.

That year, the naval attacks on the southern nation began to escalate and the tribal council decided that, for the purpose of safety and survival, the two villages should combine. Daisuke inwardly rejoiced when he heard this news. Now he would be able to remain near to her; watch over her more closely, as he'd been prevented in the past.

Finally, the day came and after much packing and preparation, the people of Atka bid farewell to their homes and set out across the ice shelf. There was quite a procession that crowded onto the streets of Tornauq more than eight hours later. It's surprising how much slower traveling is with a troupe of that size!

As he passed, Daisuke could not help but glance at the widow's house. He saw Kaiya standing at her window, eyes were wide with childlike wonder as she watched the influx of people file past. He smiled to himself; she looked so like her mother. He felt happier then than he had in many years; however, in the days and weeks that followed, he would come to curse the council's decision as the wide-eyed girl changed before his eyes.

The day after he and the rest of his village arrived, he made his way to where she lived. Sitting on a bench, he feigned sharpening a blade as he watched her interact with the new children. At first, the scene he looked upon was a perfect picture of children at play, running about, carefree and full of life. He went back to sharpening his knife, a smile upon his lips as the sounds of laughter and play wafted to his ears, but within a few moments, the laughter took on a different tone; the giggles and squeals becoming taunts and teasing jeers. From where he sat, he could only see the backs of the children now. They were all facing away from him. He stood in order to see what it was that had interrupted their innocent play. Standing apart from the group was Kaiya, her shocked expression clearly visible before she turned and ran off. That was how it began.

Later that day, as he was eating lunch with the other men, he was surprised when Kaiya became the topic of discussion.

"Have you seen her?" one of the older men asked. "In all my days, I've never seen a member of the water tribe with eyes like that. Even on my travels to the Earth Kingdom, I've only ever seen green or brown. I'm telling you, it's only the Fire Nation devils whose eyes burn that bright. There's something wrong with that girl."

To Daisuke's horror, mummers of agreement followed. He did not finish his meal that day.

Those who had been Kaiya's neighbors, teachers, and playmates, who had grown accustomed to her vibrant, yellow eyes, now looked at her differently. Influenced by the newcomers, they began to treat her with suspicion.

Kaiya began to be ridiculed and rejected and it wasn't long before overzealous parents forbid their children from associating with her.

Kaiya didn't understand. How could she?

What hurt the most was when he saw members of Kasumi's family treating the girl with the same half-veiled contempt as the others. These were Kaiya's aunts and uncles, her cousins, her grandparents. Of course, only Daisuke knew that Kaiya was the child they believed had died with her mother, but that did not make it any easier to accept their rejection of her. Daisuke wondered how they could not see Kasumi in the young girl. The shape of her eyes, the curve of her jaw, had their prejudice blinded them so badly that where he saw the familiar features of his once love, they saw only the eyes that associated her with the enemy?

Shunned and discarded, she began to turn inward, to repress her feelings and guard her heart. She began wearing her hair differently; down, hanging over her eyes as she walked with her head bowed.

Daisuke would lay awake at night searching for a solution. He often entertained the notion of stealing off with Kaiya under cover of darkness to seek a better life for her among foreign lands. These thoughts were as fleeting as dreams facing the harsh light of a rising sun. Increasingly hostile reports of the continued advancement of the Fire Nation kept Daisuke from taking action. At least here, she was safe.

As days turned into months, the changes in Kaiya became even more pronounced. She never smiled anymore, would hardly speak. It was as though she wished to become invisible, to pass by unseen, unnoticed. Sometimes she succeeded, many times she did not.

Perhaps things would have gotten better; perhaps time would have diluted the hostility against her, allowing her to lead a normal life among her people, but that would never be known.

Daisuke heard about the accident well before the summons to the council came. Just returning from a rather uneventful morning spent fishing, he noticed a group of people gathered near the water's edge. They were talking rather excitedly and before he even stepped out of the canoe, he picked out the words "attack" and "Kaiya". Rushing over, he heard the woman at the center of the throng.

"Well, I didn't see the flames, but I know a firebender's attack when I see one. He's in the healing huts now. That little demon ran off. The warriors are on their way to arrest her now."

Daisuke was already sprinting to the widow's house.

"Where is she?" he said breathlessly as he burst through the door.

"Why, hello, Daisuke. I haven't seen you in quite some time," the old woman responded slowly.

"Kaiya, where is she?!" he nearly shouted.

"Oh, she hasn't come home from school yet. Nothing to worry about, she comes home late most days now."

He was out the door before she finished her sentence.

When he reached the schoolyard, it was empty, so he went to search for where she might have tried to hide. Rounding a corner, he saw them, a group of men escorting a small shape towards the town center. Reaching the back of the group, one of the men told him that the council had called an emergency meeting.

The meeting room was full by the time he arrived. Daisuke scanned the faces, but Kaiya was nowhere to be seen. He recognized all those on the council; Hakoda, Bato, and Kenai, he knew from Atka; Kelaun, Nartok, Umiak, and Shesh he knew from his days traveling back and forth to Tornuaq. They were good men, noble and brave. They would judge honorably.

The council called first the woman who had found the boy and she repeated her story dramatically. Then a healer came with a report of Kido's condition and their conclusion as to the cause of his injuries. They made Kaiya out to be a monster. No one disagreed.

By the time they called Kaiya into the room, her fate was decided in the eyes of the people. Murmurs started the moment she stepped into the great hall, several taunts were shouted before quiet was called for.

"Kaiya, tell us what happened today," Hakoda asked, his tone was not kind.

She looked around fearfully, "I don't know." Staring at her hands, she continued in a small voice, "I pushed Kido."

"She did more than push him! She practically burned his face off!" shouted the woman before she was silenced.

"Kaiya?" Hakoda prompted.

She was crying now with her arms crossed tightly over her abdomen, hands now hidden from view. "I didn't mean to. I don't know how it happened. I was angry and when I moved, it was like my anger came shooting out...as fire." Most of those gathered did not hear this last statement for barely a sound escaped as her lips moved, but the expressions of those sitting before her changed from suspicion to hatred.

"So, you admit you bent fire at Kido?"

Kaiya did not have an answer. She knew she had caused the fire, but even as she knew this was true, her mind fought against it. _I'm Water Tribe; I can't be a firebender._

"Bato, take her away while we determine what action needs to be taken."

They then called forward the old widow and questioned her about Kaiya's lineage. She had none.

"Is there anyone here who will speak for her?"

Daisuke stepped forward.

"What is your relationship to this girl?"

"I have none."

"Then, why would you speak for her?"

"I've seen her grow, as you all have," he said gesturing to the hostile faces that surrounded him. "She is a good child."

"She is a danger to herself and to others."

"It was an accident."

"That may be true, but it doesn't change the fact that she's a firebender. She cannot remain within the tribe."

Daisuke had to shout to make himself heard over the clapping of the crowd at that last statement. "This is the only home she's ever known. You can't just send her out into the snow."

"No, we are not heartless like our enemy. There is an orphanage located near the Port of Yanlin in the Earth Kingdom. Our warriors are leaving in a few weeks to support the war effort near Ba Sing Se. They will take her there."

Daisuke began to protest, but they would not hear him.

Kaiya was restricted to the widow's home for the next three weeks and when the time came for the warriors to embark, she was escorted by four armed men as if she was some kind of wild animal. Daisuke made sure he was on the same vessel as she which wasn't hard; no one wanted to travel with the "demon child."

The journey lasted four weeks. Four weeks that Daisuke was near Kaiya every moment. In that time, it became clear the terrible damage he had allowed by his inaction. Normal children would turn to an adult, seek comfort when they were scared. Kaiya didn't. During their first storm at sea, he found her, curled in a ball, trembling with fright. She was so alone. On a ship filled with more than a dozen men, fathers and brothers, she was alone, and it broke his heart. He should have taken her away that summer four years ago. He should have let her know she was not alone, she was not unloved, but all he could do now is sit with her during the storms, trying to comfort her where words failed.

They reached Port Yanlin and left her upon the dock. His mind flooded with questions. _Will life be better for her here or will they reject her as well? Is there any place in this world that would accept one such as her?_ He realized that she had noticed his gaze and his questions reflected in her eyes. She lifted a hand in his direction, but he was called to his post. When he looked back, she had already turned away.

"I will come back for you," he swore to himself as her figure faded into the distance.

* * *

**Author's Note**

You know, I was thinking about what to say after a 6-week absence and here's what I came up with. I read because I enjoy it. That's also why I write, but it more than that. It's because I want to share something that other people will enjoy as well. I've been touched by the things I've read here and if I'm able to accomplish that on any level, then I think I've succeeded in what I set out to do. If this chapter made you happy or sad, or angry, made you laugh or cringe, or touched you in any way, please tell me.

I look forward to hearing from you. Also, here are some stories that have touched me recently.

**Come With Me** by **Steamboat Ghost**, just completed and it is amazing. It's a Blue Spirit/Painted Lady. Very dramatic, full of action and suspense, and the romance is written beautifully.

**Stormbenders** by **Fandomme**, has some pretty good action sequences and the drama is top notch, but it's the humor that makes this a standout fic, particularly Iroh's mildly disguised innuendos. Get ready to crack a rib.

If your looking for a short dose of humor and some good-spirited Zuko torture, check out **Girl Problems** by **Moor.** So hilarious and truthful, I read it to my husband. He recognized the "three magic phrases."

Wow, that sounded remarkably like a commercial. Anyways, if you do check out these stories, leave a review for them, as well. They're sure to be appreciated.


	15. Anxiety

**Disclaimer:** I don't own A:TLA.

**What I am looking for is not out there, it is in me. - Helen Keller **

******Chapter 15 – Anxiety**

"Daisuke." Just as the name formed on her lips, Kaiya remembered where she was, how far she was from home.

_Home_, she scoffed silently.

Shaking away these thoughts and the useless memories that encouraged them, she saw that her companions on deck had changed. Prince Zuko was still there, but Shin had left. In his place was the old man who had questioned her before. Kaiya watched him warily.

He seemed to be instructing Zuko through a complicated series of bending forms. Zuko moved with such speed and grace that Kaiya found it hard to separate the different stances. His movements were sharp and controlled, much different from the rhythmic motions the Water Tribe warriors practiced or the unpredictable and unchoreographed fighting she had learned with the Freedom Fighters.

Suddenly, he shifted his stance. Kaiya flinched as fire sprang from his hands, forming wide arcs across the deck as he moved. The flames reflected in his eyes that had narrowed in concentration and on his skin that shone with sweat and exertion. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before. It wasn't barbaric, as the Water Tribes made it out to be. It was beautiful—terrifying and violent, yes, but beautiful. She was captivated.

Shin came back on deck just as Zuko finished his training. He had selected new sleeping quarters for Kaiya after what happened to the infirmary and as he led her to her new room, he pointed out places she would need to remember; the kitchen, Iroh's room next door to it, the washroom at the end of the hall. Then he led her into a small room with very sparse furnishings, just a mattress on the floor, a low table next to it, and a small cabinet built into a wall that had a mirror attached to its door.

_At least this room has a window,_ she thought after Shin had left. She walked over to peer out. Immediately, she regretted doing so for the sheer drop that accompanied the wide view. It wasn't the height that bothered her, she was used to heights, but the absence of anything to break the fall into the gray water below. In the forest, the ground was relative to the closest limb you could catch. It didn't matter how high you climbed, there was always a tangle of branches below to stop an accidental decent. She quickly slid the bed to the wall opposite the window.

With nothing else to do, she lay back upon the thin mattress and closed her eyes. Her mind wondered back to the bending forms she had seen demonstrated. On an impulse, she got up and tried to repeat some of the moves that she had seen. Her balance, which was pretty good thanks to years spent leaping through the tree tops, did nothing to prevent her from landing on her backside several times. She couldn't seem to achieve the speed she had seen demonstrated. Soon she gave up trying to recreate the moves she had seen and decided just to try to control a flame. She summoned it easily, but quickly smothered it.

"Ow," she said looking at her reddened palm. It bit her. The fire had bit her. "That's not supposed to happen." She tried it again, but again the fire merely danced across her palms before the heat of it forced her to let it go.

"Perfect. Not only am I a firebender from the Water Tribe, but I'm not even any good." Then a crazy idea popped into her mind.

_Maybe _he_ could help?_

_No, that's just asking for trouble._

_This might be my only chance. _

_It's stupid, I 'll look like an idiot._

_What do I have to lose? _

She fought with herself until she was standing in front of Zuko's door, knocking. A moment passed and she released the breath she'd been holding, immensely relieved that he wasn't there, but just as she turned to go, the door opened.

"What?" Zuko said sharply before he realized it wasn't his uncle or a member of the crew. "Oh, what do you want?"

Suddenly, every bit of her courage fled and she realized the last place she wanted to be was standing in this hall, with him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. It was a bad idea anyway," she mumbled as she quickly turned to go.

"Stop," he said, the command clear. "What idea?"

"I- I thought you might be able to help me," she stammered, eyes on the floor. "You see, I have this problem—"

"Shin can't help you?" he cut in, feeling strangely uneasy.

"No."

Her serious tone did nothing to alleviate his sudden tension. "Well?" he prompted, but his voice betrayed him and came out in a squeak. He cleared his throat. "What is it?"

"Can I come in?"

"Uh, yeah," another cough. "I mean yes."

"I've never really done this before," she added as she shut the door behind her, "I mean, I have, but I wasn't trying to..."

She stepped back and held her hand out before her. Once again, her element burned across her skin instead of leaping into the air. She closed her fist to douse the flames, wincing as she did. "It burns me. I don't know what I'm doing wrong." She looked up at Zuko expectantly.

"Oh," Zuko barely hid his relief. He stepped closer,"Do that again."

Kaiya frowned. "It hurts," she said, holding up her glowing palm for proof, but summoned the flame anyway.

"You're not breathing."

"Huh?"

"You have to breathe with the flames." He demonstrated this by producing a flame that hovered over his hand. As he exhaled, the fire grew, casting its light into the corners of the room before receding when he drew his next breath.

"Okay." She held her hand out once more and carefully regulated her breathing, but this only caused the flames that licked her skin to flare painfully against her palm. She wiped angrily at tears of pain and frustration, turning away so he would not see. "Never mind, I'll just— I'm sorry I bothered you. I'll just go."

"No." He caught her arm. "Don't give up so easily. I may not know what's wrong, but my uncle will."

"Why would he help me? He doesn't even like me."

"That's ridiculous. Uncle likes everyone. Come on."

She looked at him skeptically, but followed as he led her out of his room. Zuko's demeanor quickly changed though, when they reached the deck. Ominous storm cloud blotted out the sun and several men turned scowling gazes in their direction.

"Go back to your room."

She nodded absently, her focus wholly upon the gathering storm. As she went back below deck, she wondered if storms were any easier to ride out if strong metal walls blocked the waves and spray.

They weren't.

The storm hit with tremendous force. The floor rocked violently, the metal creaked and groaned, and the empty corridors only amplified the crashing of the waves and the claps of thunder. Kaiya was scared. When water began to seep under her door, she gave up trying to pass the storm there. Her footing was hard to keep on the smooth floor slick with rain. She slammed into the walls several times when the ship dipped unexpectedly.

Iroh found her several hours later, crouched into a corner, asleep. Even though he knew the trouble surrounding this girl, his heart went out to her. There was just something about emotionally troubled youths.

"Kaiya," he said gently, kneeling beside her, "let's get you back to your room."

She blinked several times before she realized who he was. Her eyes shifted to the floor. "Sorry, I, uh, got lost during the storm."

"Would you like me to escort you to your room?"

His voice was so full of kindness that she lifted her head, meeting his gaze. Kaiya wondered if she had judged the old man too quickly. She nodded and took the hand he offered to help her up. She cringed, her palms were still tender from before.

Perceptive as always, Iroh turned her hand over. "How did this happen?"

"I-I'm having some trouble—with my bending," she said, nervously stumbling over her words, but she remembered what Zuko had said, "My uncle likes everyone." _I guess we'll see if he was right._

Then Iroh said something she did not expect. "What?" she said, sure she had misheard.

"Come. We'll talk over a nice cup of tea."

* * *

Smellerbee was tired, and hungry, and her feet hurt, and to top it off, they were no closer to finding Kaiya than they had been this morning. As she sat down in the dirt, in the dark, she was able to reflect on all that had happened since yesterday. 

After sitting in those stupid metal baskets for several hours, someone finally came along to free her and Pipsqueak. They reported that the Water Tribe boy, who they were supposed to be guarding, who they let escape, had alerted the villagers to their plan and helped them evacuate. Jet's temper was not pretty. All the way back to the hideout, a very soggy Jet had fumed about the Avatar and his companions, specifically the waterbender. Everyone had given Jet a wide berth after that, not wanting to be on the receiving end of his anger.

She was sitting outside when Longshot entered camp, well after sundown. He walked right by, but failed to notice her as he passed. He looked strange, scary even. She followed him to Jet's hut, but chose to wait outside and caught only bits and pieces of the conversation taking place beyond the thin curtain.

It wasn't long before he came back out, face flushed in anger. He paused in front of her and held out his hand. It was a question.

_Come with me._

She took his hand, thinking he would lead her to one of their rooms and explain what had happened. She almost reconsidered when he led her to the rope that would take them away from the hideout. He let go of her hand and jumped down. She glanced back for a moment before following.

Longshot spoke to her that night. It wasn't the first time, but it wasn't often that he spoke either. He told her in a hoarse whisper what he had seen, what he had found. He cried unabashedly, so did she. They didn't know what to believe, but they knew something bad had happened to their friend.

They slept on the ground that night, exhausted, their eyes itchy and swollen. The next morning, before the sun had passed the horizon, Longshot had them up, heading toward the nearest town, besides the one they had destroyed. It was a port town a fair distance away. By the time they reached it, midday had come and gone.

Smellerbee spent the evening questioning locals, but realized quickly that most of the people crowded into this town were not. By about the fourth or fifth person she approached, Longshot and Smellerbee realized who all these strangers were. They spoke openly about their destroyed homes and uprooted lives. These were people, not soldiers or warriors, just normal people. Longshot and Smellerbee hardly looked at one another after that. It terrified them, how close they had come to being murderers. They would have left then, such was their guilt, but the thought of Kaiya kept them there among the faces of so many innocent people, so many they had made homeless.

Having found no helpful information in the town, they headed to the docks. A fisherman told them of a Fire Nation ship that had anchored there briefly the previous day. This led to a merchant who had sold medical supplies to a Fire Nation soldier.

Longshot gave Smellerbee a pointed look.

"What kind of supplies?"

"Salves and bandages, burn ointments, that sort of thing. Aloe is very popular among new recruits. They needed more supplies, but as you can see, I'm very low on stock." Then he eyed the ragged pair of teenagers suspiciously, "Why?"

They left the town quickly after that, but not before finding out where the next port was located.

They argued their way back to the tiny camp they had made the night before.

"It's a week away, if we hurry. Even if we had ostrich horses, it'd take at least five days to get there and they're a day ahead of us already. They'll have come and gone by then."

_We have to try. For Kaiya, we have to try. _

"But what if we miss them? We're not even sure that this is the right ship."

_Then we'll follow them farther_.

"We can't chase a ship across the world."

_I will._

****** Author's Note**

Quoted from my beta, "Tea with Iroh cures all of life's problems." Also, "Yay for quasi, faux shipping scenes!"

And yay for the return of Longshot! I'd forgotten how much fun he is to write. And just in case you were interested, Daisuke is 27. He was 15, Kasumi 16, when Kaiya was born. And yes, by the time I get to the author notes, my sense of grammar and sentence structure is out the window.

P.S. Did you like the Zuko/Kaiya interaction? Would you like to see more of that kind of Zuko torture?

Aaaand, here's another few story deserving of some love. **Adjustments** by **hhgbh**, just a little post WAT fic to fill that Avatar void. Also, check out **A Warrior's Accord** by **QuidditchNut,** again, it's post WAT. I won't say anything else about this story because there's a lot to spoil.

I'm gonna stop this author's note soon, but if you're not familiar with these classics, you need to be: **Parts of a Whole** and **Clasp** by **Macfie**, **Ozai's Vengeance** by **Fandomme**, **Cast Me Gently into Morning** by **OveractiveImagination39**.


	16. Apprehension

******Disclaimer: ****I don't own A:TLA. **

**What I am looking for is not out there, it is in me. - Helen Keller **

******Chapter 16 – Apprehension**

Confused, Kaiya followed Iroh in silence. He led her to a small room just past the kitchens.

"Red encourages a healthy appetite." Iroh said as he led her into a small room just past the kitchens. Spare in furnishings as the rest of the ship, this room clearly served as a dining area. A low square table dominated the room. Large red tapestries emblazoned with a single black flame adorned the walls. Even the torches on the wall glowed with the same hue. He motioned for Kaiya to sit.

As soon as they had settled, a servant entered with a steaming pot and three ceramic cups.

"So, what seems to be the problem?"

Kaiya hesitated before lifting her hand, but Iroh stopped her.

"There is no need to show me. Just tell me what you think the problem is."

"Oh, well, I don't really know. In my room, I tried to hold a flame, but instead of rising into the air, the fire formed against my skin."

"You've never had any firebending instruction." It was not a question. "Tell me of any other times you have used your bending."

His gaze fell to the bandages that encircled her wrists. Kaiya saw this and withdrew her hands to hide in her lap under the table.

"I know you caused the burns on your wrists; I want to know of any other instances you have bent fire."

"I've only used my firebending two other times. Once was by accident when I was a child and the other was fighting the men who attacked me, but I wasn't burned either of those times. I don't understand what changed."

Zuko walked in at that moment. If he was surprised to see Kaiya there, he didn't show it. If fact, he seemed to ignore her presence completely.

"Did you say something to the crew, Uncle?" he asked sharply.

"Of course not, Prince Zuko. Why would you think that?"

"They are acting strange," was his short reply.

Iroh did not respond, though Kaiya thought she saw guilt in the smile he hid behind his teacup before he turned back to Kaiya.

"I do not know for certain, but I suspect there will be limits to your bending, certain forms you are unable to perform without injuring yourself."

"Does this happen to other firebenders?" she asked, glancing between the two men.

"No, it does not."

She bowed her head.

"You are different, Kaiya. Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for a firebender to be burnt by his own flame but it would seem that this does not apply to you."

Iroh recognized the look that darkened her face, the self-demeaning judgment that most children inflict upon themselves, the temptation to compare themselves to others.

"Your parentage, I believe, is the cause of this," he paused, seeming to search for the right word, "obstacle."

She nodded without looking up.

"You know that you are not fully Fire Nation. Your mother would have been Water Tribe. Your father..."

The implication hung in the air as a heavy odor. Zuko shifted. Kaiya's hands trembled in her lap.

These were the same conclusions she had reached years before, that her birth had not been a joyous event, but one shameful and hidden, and hearing this spoken of so openly... She felt embarrassed and was not sure why.

"These limits to your bending," Iroh continued despite the prevailing tension, "may not be permanent. Perhaps with training, you can learn how to overcome them. However, if they remain, do not be discouraged. Many things we view in ourselves to be weaknesses or failures often become our greatest strengths. Only time will tell what good may come from this difficulty."

Kaiya felt she was missing something in what Iroh said, but did not fail to notice the slight scowl that passed over Zuko's face.

* * *

The next morning, Shin could be found conversing pleasantly with the same girl who threatened his very existence only two days previously.

"How are you feeling today? How is your burn?" he asked as he changed her bandages.

"Actually, it feels a lot better—I can turn my head and lift my arm now—except that these wraps are too tight and it's started itching like a prickly clover rash," Kaiya said, scratching at the edges of the burn that Shin just uncovered.

"You must not do that," he said, swatting her hand away. "The scar is too new; the skin too delicate. These bandages help protect your burn until the scar matures."

"But what will stop this itching?" she moaned as her fingers crept back toward her shoulder while Shin had his back turned.

"Hmm, massaging the area can help lessen itching and sensitivity, but it will likely be uncomfortable at first," he said with a knowing glance over his shoulder that sent Kaiya's hands back to her lap. "Let's just focus on getting through therapy today. Then we'll work on making you more comfortable."

"_More_ therapy?"

"Yes, of course. You're moving well now, but that is only because the scar is young and there's no longer the scab to restrict your movement, but your recovery is far from complete."

Shin proceeded to spend the rest of the day helping Kaiya through exercises to strengthen the muscles her injury had weakened and to increase her range of motion. By the time he left, Shin felt rather satisfied at the progress they had made. Kaiya, on the other hand, was fairly certain she'd passed into the third dimension of hell. She shared this opinion with Shin, loudly.

* * *

"Prince Zuko, would you mind helping our young patient with this? I need to do a final inspection on the infirmary before I move everything back in." Shin held out a small container. Zuko hesitated. "You did so well with her treatment before. That and I am under the distinct impression that she would rather not see anymore of me today."

"You began her physical therapy?'

Shin nodded and placed the jar in Zuko's hands.

* * *

Zuko knocked before entering. Kaiya lay collapsed on the mattress. She mumbled something into the pillow that covered her face. It sounded suspiciously like, "Go. Away." He ignored this and shut the door behind him, remembering his own scorching reaction to this portion of after-burn care.

"I said, go—" She shut her mouth when she saw who it was and quickly stood to her feet.

"Sit back down. This won't take long."

She remained standing. "What won't take long?"

"I have to put this on your burns," he said simply.

She looked at him, her expression weary. "Will it hurt?" she asked, her voice flat, empty.

"Some."

Her shoulders slumped. She sat heavily upon the edge of the mattress and struggled to pull her tunic over her head. Zuko knelt before her. She kept her eyes averted as he unwrapped her wrists and even when he rubbed the thick, pungent salve onto her skin, she did not look at him.

Zuko rebound her wrists and moved to her side to remove the bandage from the wound on her shoulder. He noticed her blush, but didn't say anything; he was trying to keep his hands from shaking.

The last section of the bandage fell away revealing the bright, angry red that was her scar. Zuko knew that the color would soon darken to a deep russet, darker but no less noticeable.

She shuddered when his hand met the worst of her burn and her temper quickly shifted from resigned to hostile. She drew her breath in a hiss and turned her head away. He heard a string of curses escape her lips and though he was right next to her, could only make out a few of the words; still, he was having a hard time fighting the smirk that tugged at his mouth. There was something decidedly amusing about such colorful language being expelled from such an unassuming form. When he heard something about a cabbage-loving bucket of hogmonkey feathers mixed in with the expletives, his face cracked and he laughed out loud.

Kaiya jumped away from him at the sound.

"What are you laughing at?" she said, a challenge in her voice and her eyes set in a fiery glare.

He composed himself but did not respond. She huffed and got up, moving away from him.

"I'm sorry. I must have forgotten," she fumed facing the wall. "Tormenting the wounded, what better entertainment could there be? War by day, torture by night. There's a Fire Nation creed for you."

Barely a second passed before Zuko grabbed her by her good shoulder and spun her to face him. "Fine!" he screamed in her face. "You want to lose the use of your arm? Because that's what will happen if I _don't_ do this." He roughly wrapped her shoulder and was halfway out the door when a small hand gripped his arm from behind.

"Wait. I'm sorry. It's just that..." Cautiously, she stepped closer. "I just don't want to hurt anymore. I want the pain to stop." She laid her head against his back, her forehead resting between his shoulders. For a moment, he stood there breathing hard, angry and unresponsive. Finally, she took an awkward step away, releasing his arm.

Zuko stood there a moment more before he turned around, his expression changed. "The pain never goes away," he said softly.

"...but it does get better."

Kaiya got the impression that they were not talking about just burns and scars anymore.

* * *

Kaiya awoke to find that they had reached port sometime during the night, a full day earlier than expected. From her window, she could see the crowded dusty streets of the busy port. The morning sun glared harsh, forbidding as it counted down the moments until Kaiya's departure.

Iroh had already been to town and back when he came to Kaiya's room with a small parcel in his hands.

"You can't expect me to allow you to leave wearing one of my favorite shirts, now can you?" he said with a chuckle as Kaiya untied the package and gasped in surprise.

They were clothes, the most beautiful clothes, rich in color and texture.

"Well, try them on," Iroh prompted indulgently. "I'll wait outside."

Speechless, Kaiya obeyed. The first item was fine knee-length cloak made of deep maroon-dyed muslin. The clasp, a small wooden toggle, was offset to the left so that when the cloak was worn open, pushed back over the shoulders, the weight of the garment would rest on that side, away from her injury. Kaiya smiled at the thought put into its selection. Setting it aside, she pulled out a pair of brown linen pants. They were roomy and the drawstring waist allowed them to hang comfortably from her hips. The next item confused her until she laid it out across the bed and its design was revealed. It was a one-shoulder undershirt made of red silk, not the slick, shiny variety, this was soft as velvet and whisper light. Once on, the lower edge of her bandages merely grazed the bias neckline. She would no longer need to disrobe every time her wound needed tending. The last article in the package was a thin, thigh-length tunic, red and long-sleeved with slits on both sides for movement. She slipped this on and pulled on her old boots.

Fully dressed, she took a step back, a slight frown on her face. She had not expected such lovely gifts, nor had she anticipated the rush of emotions that now overtook her. Her hands shook as she opened the door.

Iroh spread his arms in a gesture of compliment, but Kaiya took it as an open invitation. She was sniffing into his shirt before he had a chance to speak.

"Thank you," she whispered again and again, as tears choked her voice.

Iroh hushed her gently, a large, warm hand at her back. When she had calmed, she seemed stricken about her outburst.

"Kaiya?"

She shook her head and turned away.

"Kaiya."

"Why, why would you do this for me?"

Iroh considered responding with some ancient wisdom of an individual's worth, some proverb that she would most likely not understand for many years.

"It was a pleasure to shop for such a lovely young lady. Zuko would hardly appreciate the detail."

Her eyes still shining, she turned to him and smiled.

"Come, Shin is waiting for us on deck."

**

* * *

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Author's Note

I dedicate this chapter to **MacFie**. Your desperate plea for more regular updates really made me feel lousy for neglecting this story for so long. Guilt seems to be a rather effective motivator for me.

Thanks so much, everyone for your supportive reviews, but really, if you see any fault in my writing, don't hesitate to share. While I love praise, it is the critically honest reviews that really help me hone my craft.

:)Taffy


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